Gaza carnage reveals unusual threat

The IDF said 50,000 people fled the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, up from 15,000 a day earlier, claiming Hamas had lost control of the enclave’s north. And the World Health Organization warns of “worrying trends” in the spread of disease in Gaza

Tens of thousands of Palestinians fled northern Gaza on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces said, with The Guardian reporting that the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of “worrying trends” in the risk of disease in the territory following weeks of Israeli airstrikes.

The mass exodus of Palestinians began after Israeli troops closed in on central Gaza City, launching intense bombing campaigns and claiming Hamas had lost control of the northern territory.

Among those fleeing Israel’s growing ground offensive were children, the elderly and people with disabilities, the UN said, and most were on foot with minimal belongings. Many carried homemade white flags, fearing they could become targets of IDF strikes. The Israeli military said 50,000 people fled the north on Wednesday, down from 15,000 on Tuesday.

The WHO has warned that the Gaza Strip faces an increased risk of disease spread due to Israeli aerial bombing that has disrupted health care, access to clean water and forced people to crowd into shelters.

“As the number of deaths and injuries in Gaza continues to rise due to intensifying fighting, severe overcrowding and disruption of health, water and sanitation systems pose an additional risk: the rapid spread of infectious diseases,” WHO said on Wednesday.

“Some alarming trends have already emerged.”

The WHO said fuel shortages in the densely populated enclave have led to the closure of desalination plants, increasing the risk of bacterial infections such as diarrhea.

Despite extremely limited supplies of food, water and medicine to Gaza, Israel has refused to supply fuel due to concerns about possible leakage by Hamas, despite calls from the UN and humanitarian aid groups.

Eighteen of Gaza’s 35 hospitals have closed, local health officials said, putting remaining facilities under massive pressure. There are reports of operations, including amputations, being performed by torchlight, without anesthesia, and using vinegar as a disinfectant.

WHO said more than 33,551 cases of diarrhea have been reported since mid-October, most of which were among children under five years of age.

Fuel shortages have also disrupted solid waste collection, which the WHO said has created “an environment conducive to the rapid and widespread spread of insects, rodents, and diseases that can carry disease.”

Palestinians living in the center of Gaza’s largest city said they could see and hear Israeli ground troops approaching from different directions on Wednesday, hastening the exodus of thousands of civilians as fighting between Israel and Hamas intensified in the cities.

The Israeli army has given no details about troop movements but is continuing a ground offensive, vowing to crush Hamas after its deadly attack on Israeli territory on October 7. Residents said Israeli troops had advanced into inner Gaza City amid intense bombing throughout the northern region.

The clashes took place within a kilometer radius of the largest hospital in the area, al-Shifa, which became the center of the fighting. The Israeli military claims that Hamas’ main command center is located in and underneath the hospital complex and that the group’s senior leaders are holed up there, using the structure as a shield.

Hamas and hospital staff deny the claim and say the military is using an excuse to attack them.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised briefing on Wednesday that Hamas had lost control of the northern territory.

“We saw 50,000 Gazans move from the northern part of the Gaza Strip to the south [в среду]. They are moving because they understand that Hamas has lost control in the north,” said Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “Hamas has lost control and continues to lose it in the north.”

Hagari added that there will be no ceasefire, but Israel is allowing humanitarian pauses at certain times to allow residents to move to the south.

The army ordered civilians to evacuate to the southern Gaza Strip ahead of the ground offensive. While about 70% of Gaza’s population is believed to have fled their homes, UN officials estimate that about 300,000 people remain at home.