War between Israel and Gaza, live | Gaza holds its breath as Israel’s ultimatum expires | International

2023-10-14 16:22:35

Egypt places cement blocks at the border crossing with Gaza and reinforces security amid fears of a migratory avalanche

Egypt has begun placing cement blocks around the border with Gaza and beefing up security amid fears of attacks or possible entry attempts from the Strip, in what could be a “mass exodus” amid calls from Israel for the The population of the enclave is forced to move to the south of the enclave, according to what Egyptian security sources have told Efe. “There are additional measures that have been taken, such as the placement of cement blocks to prevent the entry of Palestinians displaced to the south, whose number is estimated at around one million people, to the crossing,” the sources reported, They have requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of this issue and Egypt being one of the main mediators of this new war between the Islamist group Hamas and Israel.

Always according to the sources, since the Egyptian Government has not officially commented on the matter, it is feared that a large number of displaced people will head to the pass to cross into Egypt as “the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip worsens.” . Egypt is “afraid of attacks or cases of mass exodus to Egypt, without permission from Cairo, that assault the border, as happened previously in 2009,” the sources have said, referring to the Gaza War that lasted three weeks between the paramilitary groups in Gaza, including Hamas, and the Israeli army.

Rafah is the only exit from the Gaza Strip that is not controlled by Israel and the only route for humanitarian aid to enter the enclave. Egyptian authorities have reported in recent days that the area around the Rafah crossing has been bombed by Israel, causing disruptions to border crossing operations.

The Israeli army today informed the population of northern Gaza that they have until 4:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. in mainland Spain) to move to the south of the enclave along a series of specific roads that, according to Israel, will not be bombed. until then. This message comes hours after the 24-hour deadline that Israel gave early yesterday to the 1.1 million inhabitants of the northern strip, anticipating an intensification of attacks on the Palestinian enclave.

Several countries and international organizations have described Israel’s blockade and ultimatum to the inhabitants of the Palestinian enclave as a “war crime”, where Israeli bombings have killed more than 2,200 people. (Efe)