The Israeli military warned on Friday, September 19, that it will use “unprecedented force” in Gaza City, closing a temporary evacuation route 48 hours after it opened.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, addressed to residents of Gaza City, a leading army Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, announced
From this moment, Salah al-Din Road is closed for southbound travel. The Israel Defense Forces will continue to operate with unprecedented force against Hamas and other terrorist organisations.
The instructions to residents come almost two years on from the October 7 Hamas-led pogrom that ultimately prompted the current U.S.-backed ground offensive, which began on Tuesday, September 16.
Displaced Palestinians have since described relentless shelling and the loss of homes, with many lacking the money to evacuate.
They have the rhetorical support of the United Nations, which has published a probe accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza. Israel rejected the findings as “distorted and false,” while its critics appear oblivious to Hamas’ explicitly genocidal intent.
