More than a million Palestinians, including some 350,000 children, are still in Gaza City and the northern part of the enclave, refusing to relocate south despite Israel’s offensive, the Gaza Media Office said Friday.
It added that Israel has forced more than 800,000 people into the al-Mawasi area, which lacks basic means of life.
In a statement, the office stressed that Palestinians' refusal to leave for the south comes "despite the continuation of the barbaric aggression and genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation." It said the offensive aims to "impose the crime of forced displacement."
The office noted that Israel has previously declared that "displacement this time will be permanent, with no return to Gaza City and its northern areas, which constitutes a crime in violation of all international laws."
"We affirm that more than one million Palestinians, including over 350,000 children, remain in Gaza City and the north, steadfast in their land, homes, and properties, and rejecting outright the scheme of forced displacement to the south," it said.
