The Israeli Defense Forces have stepped up their assault on the southern Gaza region following the breakdown of peace negotiations with Hamas militants. The south of the besieged enclave was designated as a safe zone before the war started, but Palestinians have questioned Israel's choice to increase bombing there.
After the militant group Hamas carried out a surprise attack within Israel on October 7, killing up to 1,200 people, Israel vowed to exact revenge.
Israel released an evacuation map of Gaza online, but who may view it?
According to reports, the Israeli army divided the Gaza Strip into more than 600 numbered sections on a map that it posted online on Friday. Palestinians in Gaza were advised by the Israeli army to locate the block that corresponded to their home area and to flee at the first available opportunity.IDF military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued alerts on the internet, asking Palestinians to leave roughly twenty zones in Gaza. The alerts included a map with three arrows heading south, indicating the locations where people should flee.
Nonetheless, Paltel, a Palestinian telecom provider, claims that service has been suspended throughout the Gaza Strip. NetBlocks, a cybersecurity watchdog, further verified the "near-total internet blackout." "Experienced as a total loss of communications by most residents," according to NetBlocks' warning.
Residents are puzzled since IDF-distributed pamphlets requesting evacuations conflict with online alerts.
Since the Israeli military ordered civilians to evacuate to the south with only 24 hours' notice on October 13, over a million Palestinians have reportedly been forced to flee northern Gaza.
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