Tens of Thousands of Palestinians Flee Central Gaza

Facts

• Palestinians continued to flee central Gaza Friday as the Israeli military bombarded the area in preparation for its troops to move in on the ground. Tens of thousands of Palestinians from the already crowded central districts of Bureij, Maghazi, and Nusseirat fled to the south of the strip of Deir al-Balah, pitching makeshift tents.¹
• This comes as the Israeli military claimed that it had located and demolished a hideout apartment on the outskirts of Gaza City in the north of the strip belonging to Hamas political leader Yahya Sinwar, along with a large tunnel system under it. The military said that it had uncovered “many findings” in the apartment that indicated Sinwar used it as a hideout, though no details were given.²
• Meanwhile, the UN claimed that Israeli forces fired upon a convoy of armored vehicles in central Gaza on Thursday after it had delivered aid, with no injuries reported. The Gaza director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said the convoy had taken a route designated by Israel but was fired upon anyway. Israel didn't immediately comment. The conflict has reportedly killed 142 UNRWA employees since Oct. 7.³
• In a Thursday statement, the Israeli military admitted to doing 'unintended harm' to civilians in an airstrike on the Maghazi camp on Dec. 24 that killed at least 106 people. Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy said that the wrong munition was used in the strike, leading to “a regrettable mistake.⁴
• According to the Israeli news site Walla, Qatari mediators have informed Israel that Hamas “agrees in principle” to resume negotiations to exchange further hostages held in Gaza for a weeks-long truce in a deal the report claims could see 40 hostages — including women, the elderly, and the sick — released as well as some Palestinian prisoners. While one official described it as a positive development, another said no concrete offer has been put on the table.⁵
• Gaza's health ministry reports that the conflict has killed over 21K people in the Gaza Strip, the majority of whom were women and children. The official Israeli death toll stands at 1.2K people and there are still over 100 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²The Times of Israel (a), ³New York Times, ⁴Associated Press (a), ⁵The Times of Israel (b) and ⁶Associated Press (b).

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. Though, of course, Israel has a right to dismantle Hamas's military capabilities, it must wage this war in a humane way. The amount of civilians being killed will only galvanize Palestinians against peace and push them into the arms of Hamas. A more thorough and surgical campaign is now needed to eliminate Hamas's leadership in Gaza, as Israel is losing global support.
• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Though this has been a tragic war, Israel cannot allow Hamas to survive. It seems that the Biden administration wants to pressure Israel into a ceasefire, but Israel must push back against such short-sighted thinking. Israel is a sovereign country and has the right to defend itself from terrorism and pursue its own interests. Hamas's military capabilities must be eliminated so that the group can never launch a terrorist attack like Oct. 7 again.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israel continues to demonstrate that its war is not against Hamas but against the Palestinian people as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable, as it kills Palestinians at an unprecedented rate. Though the US, Israel's biggest ally, wants to minimize the war's intensity, it must instead exert more pressure to end the war completely.