Urban warfare in Gaza: Evacuations, propaganda, and reality - opinion

Much has changed in the year since this conflict began, yet Hamas’s tactics remain unaltered, even after the majority of its brigades have been dismantled.

In recent weeks, the IDF has evacuated approximately 150,000 Palestinian residents from northern Gaza as it prepares for intensified operations in Jabalya. Northern Gaza is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, most of whom are concentrated in Jabalya, where Hamas has resurged. Although the IDF previously cleared Hamas battalions from the area, Hamas has regrouped, recruited, and re-established itself there.

Indeed, in the first 10 days of the IDF’s operations in northern Gaza, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed, making it clear that Hamas was regrouping in that area. Northern Gaza appeared to be enough of a Hamas stronghold that, tragically, their militants were able to set explosive traps in the Jabalya area, leading to the death of senior IDF commander Col. Ehsan Daxa, a member of Israel’s Druze community.

In preparation for these operations, Israel distributed leaflets in Jabalya and nearby areas like Beit Lahiya, warning, “You are in a dangerous war zone. Hamas is trying to rebuild its strength, and therefore, the army will act forcefully against terrorist organizations in the area. Anyone who remains there will be in danger.”

Understandably, many Gazans have refused to evacuate, likely frustrated by repeated displacement over the past year. Some Gazans report that they are unable to leave, while others allege that Israeli forces have targeted those attempting to flee.

Gaza humanitarian zone

The southern Gaza humanitarian zone, to which many have been repeatedly relocated, is reportedly in worsening conditions. It is also undeniable that Hamas has pressured many civilians to stay in conflict zones, capitalizing on civilians being placed in grave danger.

Despite these challenges, as of last week, around 20,000 Gazans have left the Jabalya area, and Israel has detained 150 suspected terrorists.

The images from Gaza reflect the grim reality of urban warfare, where civilian lives are at high risk. While Israel’s relocations are unfortunate, they have been distorted by Hamas, which uses images of displaced civilians as propaganda to frame Israel’s actions as brutal, with some even drawing distorted parallels to the Holocaust.

Those pushing propaganda images will not explain that the purpose of these evictions is so that Palestinians don’t get caught in the crosshairs during clashes with Hamas.

It is hard to see Gazans having to move their lives again, but if it means that Palestinian human shields can be prevented in combat with Hamas, it seems that Israel has no other options. This is unfortunately a very ugly war that Israel did not start.

Yet this complicated reality has not stopped social media trolls from spreading propaganda about the evacuations and creating fake parallels to the Holocaust.

Many figures on X/Twitter began labeling these evacuations as a “death march,” a huge distortion of the reality on the ground. A death march is when prisoners of war or other captives are left to die along the path. Those marches are usually characterized by harsh physical labor and abuse, deliberate starvation and dehydration, neglect, humiliation, torture, and execution of people who cannot keep up with the pace.

In contrast, Israel is actively working to create safe passage routes from a war zone and is providing Gazans with food and water by Article 19 of the Geneva Convention. Calling these evacuations a “death march”  is unacceptable and is twisting the facts to vilify Israel, minimizing the horrors of the Holocaust, and promoting dangerous antisemitic lies.

While many had hoped that the death of Sinwar would mark a turning point in this conflict and pave the way for the release of hostages, Hamas leaders abroad remain committed to extending the violence and have rejected ceasefires or negotiations.

Those who express outrage over the evacuation of Gazans should consider the real source of this tragedy: Hamas’s refusal to prioritize Palestinian lives.

This conflict is tragic, and Hamas knows that the suffering of Gaza’s civilians generates global sympathy, which it exploits to further its goals. Israel’s efforts to minimize civilian casualties are manipulated by Hamas, which seeks to distort these actions into propaganda.

The true threat to both Palestinians and Israelis is Hamas and its supporters in Iran, who persist in sustaining this violence at any cost.

The writer is a social media activist with over 10 years of experience working for Israeli and Jewish causes and cause-based NGOs. She is a co-founder and COO of Social Lite Creative, a digital marketing firm specializing in geopolitics.