The Israeli military's latest invasion of Jabaliya in northern Gaza could not be more catastrophic for residents, who have already endured the bombardments and hardship of the Israel-Hamas war, now in its second year.
"It's dangerous here. Nobody can move. It's risky and unsafe. They asked us to leave, but there was no time. All of a sudden, the area was surrounded and under fire," said Mohammed, who didn't want to give his last name, by phone.
Almost two weeks ago, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a new ground offensive in the Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza and ordered people to leave the area — once again. The IDF said intelligence showed efforts by Hamas, the militant group that runs the enclave, to reestablish itself and regroup in the area.
Palestinians and the United Nations fear that the latest invasion is part of a wider implementation of a "surrender or starve" strategy by Israel to forcibly displace northern residents and seal off northern Gaza, plans Israel denies.
"The Israeli military appears to be cutting off North Gaza completely from the rest of the Gaza Strip," the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement.
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Mohammed, 41, said his wife and three children were visiting relatives in neighboring Gaza City when tanks moved in and airstrikes intensified in Jabaliya. He asked them to stay put.
"My neighbors and I stay close to each other, trying to share what is left of food and water. I don't know how long it will last," he said.
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 50,000 people were displaced from Jabaliya over the past two weeks, while........