Hamas know that injured and dead civilians in Gaza plays well in the media, invoking sympathy for its jihadist war on Israel. Their military strategies, such as using Gazans as human shields, maximises civilian casualties. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also have form with their own rockets backfiring and killing civilians in Gaza. But Hamas instructed their people to ignore the evacuation order and subsequently blocked access routes to the south of Gaza. They have also shot their own people attempting to leave their homes, including women and children trying to travel from North to South Gaza.

Source: The Guardian November 18, 2023 03:16 UTC