People in northern Gaza will be given safe routes to the south, Israeli military says
Emma Graham-Harrison
The Israeli Defence Forces have told people in the north of the Gaza strip that between 10am and 4pm local time there will be two safe routes for them to move south.
The routes, one along the coast and one down the centre of the Gaza strip, were laid out in a tweet from spokesman Avichay Adraee.
“For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south,” the message said. On Friday the Israeli military gave Gazans a 24 hour deadline to evacuate the north ahead of an expected ground operation.
Lack of fuel, electricity and bad internet connections means people in the strip have very little access to social media.
The UN warned that the order to flee en masse would be calamitous, and urged Israel to reverse its order. It was also widely criticised by international and humanitarian organisations as too brief to allow evacuation.
Gazans are struggling to leave amid shortages of fuel and vehicles, while injury and disability makes it impossible for others to leave.
Asked if Israel would give Gazans longer to evacuate if needed before starting an evacuation, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht declined to comment directly.
“We understand it will take time. That’s it. If you’d be moving south, that’s all I can say,” he told journalists in an online briefing
Asked what an Israeli military victory would look like he said “That is a big question, I don’t think I have the capability right now to answer that.”
Key events
Show key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Gaza death toll rises to 2,215The death toll in Gaza has risen to at least 2,215, with 8,714 wounded, the local health ministry said, Reuters reported. The death toll in the West Bank is at 54, it added.
An area with heavily damaged and destroyed buildings is deserted after residents of Gaza City began to evacuate following an Israeli warning of increased military operations in the Gaza strip, 14 October 2023. Photograph: Mohammed Saber/EPA5 people were injured in Kibbutz Nirim in southern Israel, Ynet reports.
Amy Remeikis
Australia’s DFAT: Israel repatriation flights will not be departing today, or tomorrow
Australia’s department of foreign affairs and trade has just posted this on its Smart Traveller social media sites – the Israel repatriation flights will not be departing today, or tomorrow.
The situation is highly challenging and rapidly changing. Unfortunately, we have been advised our scheduled flights will not depart Israel today. A further flight will not depart as scheduled tomorrow.
The Australian Government is working to ensure Australians who want to leave can do so as soon as possible. We will communicate to registered Australians about next available flights.
Australians in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories should register via crisis.dfat.gov.au/crisisportal/s/ or by calling the 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (from overseas) or 1300 555 135 (from Australia)
Bethan McKernan
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, along with a number of other NGOs, has sent a letter to Israeli authorities “demanding an immediate reversal of the decision to cut off water and electricity to the security wings” to Palestinian prisoners in the ‘security wings’ of Israeli prisons.
King Abdullah of Jordan is heading out today for a tour of European capitals to garner support to “end the war on Gaza,” Reuters reports.
355 injured individuals are hospitalised in Israel at the moment, 95 in serious condition, Israeli public radio reports citing the country’s health ministry.
Since the start of the war, 3,526 injured Israelis arrived in hospitals.
324 Palestinians have been killed and 1,000 injured in Israeli air strikes over the past 24 hours, Gaza’s health ministry said today, Reuters reported.
Sirens have sounded in central and southern Israel.
People in northern Gaza will be given safe routes to the south, Israeli military says
Emma Graham-Harrison
The Israeli Defence Forces have told people in the north of the Gaza strip that between 10am and 4pm local time there will be two safe routes for them to move south.
The routes, one along the coast and one down the centre of the Gaza strip, were laid out in a tweet from spokesman Avichay Adraee.
“For your safety, take advantage of the short time to move south,” the message said. On Friday the Israeli military gave Gazans a 24 hour deadline to evacuate the north ahead of an expected ground operation.
Lack of fuel, electricity and bad internet connections means people in the strip have very little access to social media.
The UN warned that the order to flee en masse would be calamitous, and urged Israel to reverse its order. It was also widely criticised by international and humanitarian organisations as too brief to allow evacuation.
Gazans are struggling to leave amid shortages of fuel and vehicles, while injury and disability makes it impossible for others to leave.
Asked if Israel would give Gazans longer to evacuate if needed before starting an evacuation, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht declined to comment directly.
“We understand it will take time. That’s it. If you’d be moving south, that’s all I can say,” he told journalists in an online briefing
Asked what an Israeli military victory would look like he said “That is a big question, I don’t think I have the capability right now to answer that.”
Belgian minister: all parties must respect international lawHadja Lahbib, Belgium’s foreign minister, wrote on social media this morning that “all parties must respect international humanitarian law.”
“Civilians cannot be used as targets or shields,” she added.
Belgium joins the calls made by @antonioguterres and @JosepBorrellF regarding the evacuation of one million people in Gaza. All parties must respect international humanitarian law. Civilians cannot be used as targets or shields.
— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) October 14, 2023 Saudi Arabia has “decided to pause discussion on possible normalisation” with Israel and “has informed US officials” of its decision, a source familiar with the discussions told Agence France-Presse.
Jordan said today that any move by Israel to impose a new displacement of Palestinians would push the region to the “abyss” of a wider conflict, Reuters reported.
The foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, said Israel’s blocking of humanitarian aid to Gaza and forcing its residents to leave their homes were a “flagrant” breach of international law.