Gaza Strip’s GAZA CITY — As the sun sets on Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of families march down Salah al-Din Road on the eastern outskirts of Gaza City. Many push the elderly in wheelchairs, while others carry infants and young children. While all of them take what few belongings they can on a journey with no apparent destination in sight, some fly enormous white flags.
“Thousands of people are coming through here heading south from their neighborhoods in Gaza,” stated Maj. Shraga of the Jerusalem Brigade, whose last name the Israel Defense Forces requested to be kept secret for security concerns.
After Hamas attacked on October 7, Israel launched an offensive, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee south. On Wednesday, NBC News was granted entry to Gaza City to witness this primary evacuation route. NBC News consented to provide the Israeli Defense Forces with raw footage and mask the faces of junior soldiers for operational security requirements that mandated they accompany the Israeli troops into Gaza. The IDF was unable to view any finished articles as a result.
Israel claims that because its evacuation routes from northern Gaza are intended to bring Palestinian civilians to safety, it is demonstrating its commitment to upholding human rights while simultaneously pursuing its objectives with Hamas. The Gaza Health Ministry, under Hamas control, reports that since Hamas attacked Israel, Israel’s war in Gaza has claimed the lives of almost 11,200 individuals.
However, the route feels like a forced evacuation for many of the more than 1.6 million Palestinians that UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, estimates have already been displaced in Gaza since the conflict began.
Some who have traveled from north to south have told tales of horrific experiences they had, such as passing bodies and mutilated body parts and hearing the sounds of fierce fighting close by. Many people are “exhausted and dehydrated,” according to UNRWA, after making the hike “inmid unusually high temperatures.”
Tarik Yaghi recently talked to NBC News about his journey from northern Gaza to the southern part of the island. Prior to the fighting, he claimed to be studying IT at the Islamic University of Gaza.
Yaghi, 23, claimed, “The journey was not even a journey.” “Basically, it was torture.” Along with “bodies thrown left and right,” he claimed to have seen tanks and “dead children.”
Maj. Shraga responded, “I do think about that sometimes,” when asked how he feels about seeing kids among those escaping.
However, I’m also really proud of the work we’re doing. He remarked, “I’m really happy of these innocent kids because they can now leave the community instead of staying in their houses, unprotected, and without safe places to live.
He was referring to Hamas’ attack on October 7, which, according to Israeli officials, claimed 1,200 lives and left dozens more hostage. “I know that when you look around, it looks like there was a lot of fighting— there was — but the responsibility for that is on Hamas that brought hell into our homes and brought us in full force down over here,” he said.
Israeli troops from the Jerusalem Brigade have been searching for any signs of any Hamas hostages as large numbers of Palestinians are fleeing northern Gaza.
Soldiers question the audience if there are any Israeli hostages among them and tell them to wave their arms and shout if they are being smuggled into the south, all while shouting into megaphones in Hebrew.
Maj. Shraga stated, “We haven’t seen any of the hostages yet, but I’m really hoping that any time we’ll pull out hostages.” She also described hearing soldiers cry out for any information on the hostages as “heartbreaking.”
Along the evacuation path, he added, the military was screening people; however, he would not specify what technologies were being employed. He declared, “We’re looking for specific people.”
Maj. Shraga stated that he was aware that Israeli forces would be perceived by many Gazan Palestinians as the cause of their misery, given that they have lost so many loved ones, their houses, and their former lives.
He stated, “We’re hoping that these Palestinians here could have a much better life with a different leadership other than Hamas.”
“These people here, the ones who want to live peaceful, productive lives, will be able to come here and prosper beside us once we’re finished with our job of totally eliminating Hamas,” he remarked.
IDF Maj. Doron Spielman responded, “I think that will really be in the hands of many different players, and one of the main ones is going to be Hamas,” when asked if Israel could ensure that Palestinians who have been displaced would be able to return to their homes at some point.
Source: NBCNEWS