Palestinian civilians attempting to flee the intense fighting in the northern Gaza Strip are reportedly being shot at by Hamas terrorists trying to stop their escape.

Cpl. Shai Gilboa, a medic in the IDF’s 9th Battalion, told Israel’s Channel 12 that Hamas terrorists are resorting to gunfire to prevent civilians from following Israeli evacuation orders to safer zones. Gilboa described how wounded civilians approached her unit for medical help after being fired upon while trying to flee.

“Our battalion was sent to apply military pressure on Hamas, who were holding the civilians and stopping them from evacuating,” said Gilboa. During the clashes, terrorists opened fire on Gazans attempting to flee, leading the IDF to provide emergency medical care to the injured, mostly stopping the bleeding before evacuating them to further treatment.

Despite the dangers, the IDF reported that thousands of civilians have managed to evacuate, despite Hamas’ efforts to prevent them from leaving. The terror group has been accused of using civilians as human shields throughout the conflict.

Last week, the IDF released an audio recording of a Gaza resident confirming that Hamas terrorists were beating civilians who tried to evacuate Jabaliya, in a bid to force them to stay and hinder Israeli military operations.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)