Israel’s notifications to civilians in Gaza to leave populated locations before they are bombed are cynically used by Hamas for organizing human shields, a new study says.
The study by the Terror and Intelligence Information Center shows that when the IDF warns Arab civilians of an impending attack in their neighborhood, Hamas uses the information in order to organize the civilians into human shields in the hope of protecting the targets from the IDF’s wrath.........
Meanwhile......
Israel will set up a “humanitarian corridor” for the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s office said, after aid agencies complained of a mounting crisis for the enclave’s 1.5 million Palestinians.
Israeli ground forces, which invaded Gaza on Saturday to counter rocket fire by armed Palestinian factions, have bisected the territory and encircled major populated areas.Mr Olmert’s office said in a statement that the corridor had been recommended by Israel’s military chiefs and would entail granting periodic access to various areas of the strip to allow Palestinians to stock up on vital goods.
An Olmert spokesman, Mark Regev, described the measure as a “special status to allow the transfer of people, foodstuffs and medicines” and said it could be implemented on Wednesday.
...so......
As the Israeli operation in Gaza wears on it appears Hamas has relinquished any visage of a socio-political party, abandoning its claim to govern the residents of Gaza in favor of engaging in open war at their expense.
A number of reports from the Strip paint a picture of very difficult humanitarian conditions, not least because of Hamas itself. The suspicion is that the group’s operatives have seized control of any supplies passing through the crossings – including those sent by Israel and international organizations.
Reports say Hamas takes a cut out of all aid that arrives, including flour and medicine. Supplies intended to be distributed without gain among the population is seized by the group and sold to the residents, at a profit to the Hamas government............
