Israeli tanks advance on Gaza as military opens new evacuation route

Israeli tanks advanced further around Gaza City on Wednesday as the IDF stepped up efforts to route Hamas terrorists in the territory’s largest city.

As the Israel Defense Forces advanced, the army opening a temporary evacuation route for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians to flee — though many have said they will stay put.

Israel’s armored vehicles are now positioned around the city’s central and western areas, with soldiers attempting to clear the city of its remaining 600,000 people.

One Israeli official said it could take months for the army to wipe out Hamas’ remaining battalion in the city, with the IDF expecting 100,000 civilians to remain in the active war-zone during the intense battles to come.

Shelling around the city has already ramped up after the full incursion orders were announced Tuesday, with the latest bombings hitting a children’s hospital, forcing it young patients and families outside, according to local health officials.

“This hospital is the only specialist facility for children with cancer, kidney failure, and other life-threatening conditions — but even these gravely ill children are not spared from relentless bombardment,” Fikr Shalltoot, Gaza director at the UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, told Reuters.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incidents.

While no casualties were reported in the attack, at least 40 people were killed during Wednesday’s fighting, according to the Hamas-run ministry of health, whose tallies do not differentiate between civilians and terrorists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains that the fighting in Gaza City is the best way to eliminate Hamas’ remaining forces and pressure the terror group to release the 48 hostages who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.

To mitigate civilian deaths, Israel said it will reopen Salahudin Road for 48 hours, allowing Palestinians to escape south by Friday.

Israeli officials estimate that about 400,000 people, or about 40% of the city’s population, have already fled since Aug. 10.

While thousands are opting to flee the city, others have rejected Israel’s evacuation orders and refused to leave from their homes after being displaced multiple times throughout the war.

“Even if we want to leave Gaza City, is there any guarantee we would be able to come back? Will the war ever end? That’s why I prefer to die here, in Sabra, my neighborhood,” Ahmed, a school teacher, told Reuters.

Safety is also not guaranteed for those fleeing through Israel’s evacuation routes, with an airstrike killing five people who were leaving Gaza City for the south on Tuesday.

Palestinian and UN officials have said there is no place safe in the Gaza Strip for the refugee population amid Israel’s war campaign, including the areas designated as humanitarian zones.

Israel has said the invasion of Gaza City could be suspended in face of a cease-fire deal, but the prospects of a diplomatic ending are rare following the IDF’s airstrike on Hamas’ negotiating team in Qatar last week.

With Post wires