Hamas Blocking Palestinians From Exiting Gaza, Says Israel Defence Forces

Tel Aviv: While a humanitarian corridor has been opened to enable civilians to move out of the war-torn Gaza Strip into Egypt, the Hamas terrorists were actively preventing Palestinians from evacuating to the south in order to protect themselves, the Israel Defence forces stated on Sunday. In a telephonic conversation released by IDF, between an Israel's Intelligence Officer and a resident of Jabalya in Gaza, the resident allegedly claimed that the Hamas confiscated personal belongings and car keys from the people taking shelter.

Amid Israel's ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which has, so far, claimed 2,329 lives and left over 9,000 injured, an agreement has been reached for Israel to allow foreigners to leave the war-torn Gaza, Times of Israel reported on Saturday.

Egypt, Israel and the United States have agreed to allow foreigners residing in Gaza to pass through the Rafah border crossing into Egypt, with the Israeli forces agreeing to refrain from striking areas the foreigners would pass through on their way out of the Hamas-controlled territory.

The Israeli publication added in its report that Qatar was involved in the negotiations and the participants received approval from the Palestinian terror groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. However, the agreement has nothing on the release of Israelis being currently held hostage by Hamas terrorists, the report added.

A second official at the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing point said they received "instructions" to reopen it on Saturday afternoon for foreigners coming from Gaza, according to the Times of Israel.

Additionally, thousands more living in areas that have come under heavy rocket fire are believed to be displaced, and are moving to parts of the country that are quieter, the daily reported. The IDF relayed a message to residents of northern Gaza that an evacuation corridor is in place from 10 am until 1 pm (local time).

"The IDF will not carry out any operations along this route," the IDF clarified. Further, according to The Times of Israel, the military advised residents to move to the south of the Strip ahead of an expected ground operation. "Be assured, Hamas leaders have already ensured their safety and that of their families," the IDF stated.

Meanwhile, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said 2,329 Palestinians have been killed and another 9,042 injured in the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the Strip, The Times of Israel reported.

The Israel Defense Forces said it has killed about 1,500 Palestinian terrorists in Israeli territory after they breached the border fence and went on a murderous rampage in southern Israel, killing over 1,300 people, mostly civilians.