The IDF Spokesperson's Unit declared that Hamas is continuing to prevent residents of the Gaza Strip from moving to a safe area on Thursday.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit conveyed that intelligence soldiers had appealed to dozens of Palestinians, calling them to evacuate, but the conversations revealed that the terrorist organization blocked the access routes to the southern Strip.
For example, in a recorded conversation distributed by the IDF spokesperson between an officer and a resident of the Gaza Strip, the resident argues that he cannot move due to Hamas's blockades.
LISTEN to an IDF officer in Unit 504 encourage a resident of Gaza to evacuate southward for their safety.Hamas continues to use the civilians of Gaza as human shields, not allowing them to evacuate. pic.twitter.com/KTu108FQPg
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 26, 2023
"All the roads are blocked," he says, "people are walking, and they are just sent back home. They are shooting at people who want to leave."
Following the attack, the IDF has publicly called several times for hundreds of thousands of Gaza Strip residents to move from the north to the south to maintain their safety from IDF strikes and the fight against Hamas as part of the "Swords of Iron" operation.
According to numerous reports, many have already done so. The UN has warned Israel that evacuating nearly half of the dense population of Gaza would be a disaster and has called on Israel to retract this unprecedented order.
Here is the transcription of the conversation as distributed by the IDF Spokesperson:
Gaza resident: Hello?
Speaker: Mohammad?
Gaza resident: Yes.
Speaker: How are you?
Gaza resident: Yes.
Speaker: I'm an officer from the IDF, to ensure your personal safety, I'm asking you to head towards Khan Yunis immediately.
Gaza resident: Where to?
Speaker: Towards Khan Yunis immediately, I don't want you to endanger yourself, that's why I'm telling you to go to Khan Yunis.
Gaza resident: All the roads are blocked.
Speaker: Where you are now is dangerous. You need...where is it blocked? Who blocked the road? Hamas?
Gaza resident: Yes.
Speaker: What?
Gaza resident: Yes...correct.
Speaker: Where did they block the road?
Gaza resident: At Salah al-Din Street.
Speaker: Salah al-Din?
Gaza resident: Yes.
Speaker: How did they block the road?
Gaza resident: They're just sending people back home.
Speaker: Are they putting up cars? Police or...
Gaza resident: Yes, yes.
Speaker: How exactly? Please explain it to me, did you see this with your own eyes?
Gaza resident: With vehicles...people are walking, and they are simply sent back home.
Speaker: How did they block the road? Please explain it to me.
Gaza resident: They are shooting at people.
Speaker: What are they shooting? They are shooting at people who want to leave?
Gaza resident: Yes, yes, yes.