By By Micheal Chukwuebuka
THE Israeli military, on Wednesday, announced that it would open a temporary route to enable civilians to flee Gaza City, a day after launching a major ground offensive aimed at dismantling Hamas.
Before dawn on Tuesday, Israeli forces unleashed a heavy bombardment on Gaza City and advanced further into the enclave’s largest urban centre.
The assault coincided with the publication of a United Nations investigation which accused Israel of committing “genocide” in the Palestinian territory and alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials had incited the crime.
In a statement on Wednesday, the military said it was opening “a temporary transportation route via Salah al-Din Street”. Its Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, confirmed the corridor would remain open for only 48 hours, beginning at midday local time.
Previously, the Israeli army had directed residents to evacuate Gaza City using the coastal road towards what it described as a “humanitarian zone” in the south, including parts of Al-Mawasi. Salah al-Din Street, by contrast, runs down the centre of the Gaza Strip from north to south.
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