Hamas is preventing civilians from evacuating the Jabaliya area in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are conducting operations against targets of the terrorist group, a Gazan is heard saying in a recording released by the IDF on Monday.
According to an IDF statement, intelligence indicates Hamas is attempting to regroup in Jabaliya, prompting the IDF to urge civilians to evacuate through designated humanitarian routes to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
Gazans say Hamas forcing civilians to stay in combat zone, preventing evacuations
(Video: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)
In a conversation with an IDF representative, a Gazan civilian described how Hamas terrorists were beating them with sticks to stop them from leaving the area and forcing them to return from the humanitarian corridor.
"The problem is that when we follow the army's instructions and try to go to Al-Mawasi, there are people who come out against us and start hitting us with sticks, telling us 'go back, go back,' what should we do?" the man says in a frustrated voice in the recording.
"We want to leave. We took our belongings and wanted to leave, and now they're hitting us and telling us to 'go home, go home,' what should we do?"
When the IDF representative asked whether the attackers were Hamas or Israeli forces, the Gazan firmly responded that the attackers were indeed Hamas members. "They keep hitting us, they keep hitting us and returning us," he adds.
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