Middle East Monitor / May 10, 2023
Over 2,000 Jewish Israeli’s living in settlements near Gaza have fled their homes fearing the response of Palestinian resistance groups to the murderous air strikes that targeted the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. According to Haaretz, municipalities of settlements near Gaza are “preparing to evacuate thousands more.”
At least ten buses left the regional council areas of Eshkol and Ashkelon for hotels in other parts of Israel as part of a Defence ministry initiative. In Sderot the municipality contacted 4,500 residents who are eligible to be transported to hotels at the state’s expense.
Haaretz also reported that the Israeli occupation army advised inhabitants of the Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Kfar Aza, which are close to the Gaza ‘security fence’, to leave their houses as soon as possible. Out of 500 people living in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, an estimated 150 have already left.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told community leaders near the Gaza Strip that they “must be prepared for any scenario, including prolonged fighting.” He referred to the air strikes that killed women and children as well as Islamic Jihad leaders as a “precise and successful operation.”
