A senior Israeli defense official warned that Hamas is deploying a broad strategy to block the exit of Palestinian civilians from Gaza City, despite Israel's efforts over the past two weeks to encourage their evacuation ahead of an imminent ground offensive.
According to estimates, between 60,000 and 80,000 residents have managed to move south since Israel Defense Forces (IDF) began urging the population to evacuate. However, that figure represents only a fraction of approximately one million people who remain in the area.
According to the military source, Hamas considers the presence of civilians in Gaza a strategic asset: the greater the risk to the population, the greater the international pressure on Israel.
The terrorist group is deliberately seeking to turn its own population into human shields to hinder Israeli military operations and, at the same time, use any civilian casualties as a propaganda tool.
