The Israeli army said in a statement, "In recent hours, forces from the 99th Division have begun concentrated ground activity north of the Gaza Strip, with the aim of strengthening and maintaining operational control over the Netzarim axis," stressing that it has completely closed the road.
In the same context, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee announced in a post on the X Company platform that Rashid Street, the main coastal road linking the north and south of the Gaza Strip, had been closed to Palestinian traffic from the south toward Gaza City, with only movement southward permitted.
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said, "The army is tightening its siege on Gaza City," adding that the closure of Netzarim will force anyone leaving the city to pass through Israeli army checkpoints.
Katz continued, "This is a last chance for Gaza residents who wish to move south and leave Hamas militants isolated in Gaza City itself in the face of continued, full-force IDF activity," claiming that those remaining in Gaza would be classified as "terrorists or supporters of terrorism."
In contrast, Hamas considered Katz's statements a prelude to an escalation of "war crimes" against hundreds of thousands of innocent residents of the city, including women, children, and the elderly.
In a statement, it affirmed that what is happening in Gaza City constitutes "a crime of ethnic cleansing and systematic forced displacement, carried out brutally and in full view of the entire world." It also noted the ongoing Israeli bombing of homes and massacres of civilians in Gaza and the central and southern regions.
The movement called on the international community and Arab and Islamic countries to take urgent action to halt these "serious violations," and "take steps to deter the terrorist occupation entity, compel it to halt its crimes, and push for bringing its fascist leaders to justice for their crimes against humanity."
For weeks, the Israeli occupation has intensified its bloody bombardment of Gaza City, destroying its residential buildings. This is part of a plan approved by Benjamin Netanyahu's government last August to gradually reoccupy the Strip, starting with Gaza City.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 66,148 martyrs and 168,716 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.
