Israel readies troops for invasion as Gaza civilians flee

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories — Israel pummelled northern Gaza with fresh air strikes on Saturday, as it urged Palestinians to flee the area before an expected ground offensive against Hamas commanders.

AFP reporters near the southern Israeli city of Sderot saw troops fire at the densely populated enclave, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the sky.

On the Gazan side, health officials said more than 2,200 people had been killed.

But with food, water, fuel and medical supplies running low because of an Israeli blockade, aid agencies are warning of an impending humanitarian crisis.

On the diplomatic front, Saudi Arabia pressed for an "immediate ceasefire", while the United States called on China to use its regional influence to push for calm.

One air strike killed Ali Qadi, described as "a company commander of the Hamas 'Nukhba' commando force" involved in the surprise attack, the AFP said.

Some 1.1 million people — nearly half the population of 2.4 million — live in the north of Gaza, and aid agencies have said forcing them to move is an impossibility as the war rages.

Exiled Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel on Saturday of committing "war crimes" in Gaza and blocking the supply of much-needed aid.

In a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, posted on the Hamas’ website, he called Israel's cutting off of electricity, water and fuel supplies "barbaric".

But he ruled out any "displacement" of Gazans, including to Egypt.

Gazans, who cannot leave the enclave, have packed what belongings they can into bags and suitcases, to trudge through the rubble-strewn streets.

A stream of cars, trucks, three-wheeled vehicles and donkey-drawn carts joined the frantic mass movement south, all loaded with families and their belongings, mattresses, bedding and bags strapped onto the roofs of packed vehicles.

Roads in the 40 kilometre long territory were jammed. But putting distance between people and the bombings had not dispelled fear.

“We wake up to the killing and death under the bombs,” said Mohamed Abu Ali, who lives in Gaza.

“We don’t know where to go, where is safe. We have no food, water or electricity,” he added.

International aid agencies, including the UN and Red Cross, plus several foreign diplomats have voiced concern about the feasibility of the evacuation plan.

“We fear an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ivan Karakashian, of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

According to the UN, more than 1,300 buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, while local hospitals and their exhausted staff have become overwhelmed with growing numbers of dead and injured.

“What does the world want from us?” asked one Palestinian resident, Mohamed Khaled, 43. “I am a refugee in Gaza and they want to displace me yet again?”

US President Joe Biden told US television on Friday that his administration was doing “everything” it could to locate 14 missing Americans.

Egypt and Israel have agreed to let US citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, a US official accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken on a regional tour told reporters.

But it was not immediately clear when the plan would be implemented.

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, while clashes in the occupied West Bank have killed 53 Palestinians in the past week.

Angry protests condemning Israel and supporting the Palestinians in Gaza took place across the Arab world on Friday.

More took place in New York on Friday night, and London on Saturday, where protesters waved Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine” and “End the massacre”.

Antony Blinken is seeking Beijing’s help in restoring calm, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

In Beijing, Wang said China wanted urgent peace talks to resolve the situation, a read-out from the foreign ministry said.

After a meeting with Blinken, Riyadh said it was calling for “an immediate ceasefire in Gaza” and the surrounding area, and for the siege to be lifted, to allow aid to get in.