Israel military issues further calls to evacuate northern Gaza as airstrikes continue – Middle East crisis live

Military tells people to head towards ‘known shelters’ despite the fact there is no guarantee of safety as 57 people killed in past 24 hours

As we mentioned in the opening summary, Israel’s security cabinet has approved a suggestion by the country’s defence minister, Israel Katz, to set up a new administration within his department tasked with enabling Palestinians to “voluntarily” leave Gaza, their homelands.

In a statement a couple of days ago, Katz’s office said the new directorate would work to:

Prepare for and enable safe and controlled passage of Gaza residents for their voluntary departure to third countries, including securing their movement, establishing movement routes, checking pedestrians at designated crossings in the Gaza Strip, as well as coordinating the provision of infrastructure that will enable passage by land, sea and air to the destination countries.

The ministry of foreign affairs and expatriates condemned in the strongest terms Israel’s announcement of the establishment of a special agency targeting the displacement of Palestinians under the pretext of “voluntary departure” from the Gaza Strip.

This coincided with the Israeli security cabinet’s approval of the demolition of 13 illegal settlement neighborhoods in the West Bank, in preparation for their “legalisation” as colonial settlements.