By Tass

Copyright tass

TEL AVIV, September 17. /TASS/. Around 400,000 Palestinians have left Gaza City and moved to other areas of the enclave following the launch of a large-scale Israeli offensive operation, The Times of Israel reported, citing estimates from the Israel Defense Forces.

The publication notes that prior to the start of the operation’s preparations, approximately one million Palestinians lived in Gaza City. Before the operation began, Israel urged them to leave the city immediately, and in recent days, the evacuation rate has increased to tens of thousands of people per day. Separately, the IDF stated that it is working to establish new humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the launch of Operation Gideon’s Chariots in the northern and southern parts of the enclave on May 18. Its stated goal is the total defeat of Hamas and the release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the operation aims to establish Israeli control of the entire Gaza.

On September 8, Netanyahu announced the imminent start of an offensive on Gaza City and called on local residents to leave immediately. Israel delivered a series of strikes on senior Hamas officials in Doha on September 9. The Palestinian movement reported the death of six people, including a son of Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Khalil al-Hayya and a Qatari security officer. Reports about the death of senior Hamas officials have not been verified.

On September 16, Netanyahu confirmed the launch of a massive offensive on Gaza City with the aim of defeating the radical Hamas movement.