Palestinian groups issue urgent appeal to stop Israel’s ‘Generals’ Plan’ in north Gaza
Three Palestinian human rights organisations have issued an urgent appeal to stop Israel’s “genocidal violence against Palestinians in northern Gaza, specifically in Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoon”.
“Israel is directly implementing the so-called “Generals’ Plan”,” in northern Gaza, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights warned in the joint statement.
Palestinians in northern Gaza “are being starved to death as Israel continues to prevent humanitarian aid trucks from reaching these areas”, the groups said.
“Those attempting to flee from the area or move from one place to another to search for ‘safety’ or food are being shot at and killed by Israeli snipers, quadcopters, and drones,” they said.
“The streets are filled with dozens of dead bodies and wounded Palestinians, as medical and civil defence teams are unable to access any of these areas without risking being killed,” they add.
What is the Israeli ‘General’s Plan’ for Gaza?
As we’ve been reporting, Palestinian rights groups and Palestine’s envoy to the UN are warning that Israel’s so-called General’s Plan is already “in motion” in northern Gaza.
The General’s Plan is “aimed at emptying northern Gaza of its residents by laying a full siege, denying the entry of humanitarian aid, forcing Palestinians to leave, and unlawfully declaring whoever remains to be a military target”, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, Al-Haq and the Al Mezan Center for Human Rights said in a statement on Wednesday.
Israel’s Ynet News reported in April that it had received a copy of the two-phased plan outlining a “full military siege” of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, after giving “an estimated 300,000 civilians” one week to leave. An estimated 400,000 people are trapped in northern Gaza as of October.
According to Ynet, the plan was spearheaded by retired Israeli Major General Giora Eiland and other senior officials on behalf of the Forum of Commanders and Soldiers in the Reserves.
A later version published by the reservist group in September says the plan applies to everything north of the Netzarim Corridor, a four-kilometre-wide (2.5-mile) strip of land occupied by Israeli forces, that has split the Gaza Strip in two.
