Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) disclosed on Sunday that top Hamas figures, along with senior officials based in Gaza City, had recently filed requests to use the Israeli-run system that permits Gazans to travel through Jordan on their way to a third country.
COGAT reported that in recent weeks a number of such appeals were submitted, including some by officials who wished to depart Gaza themselves. All of these requests were turned down by Israel.
At the same time that Hamas leadership continues to publicly instruct civilians in Gaza City not to evacuate southward, those same leaders are fearful for their own safety and are actively seeking to escape. They are forcing residents of northern Gaza to serve as protective cover while prioritizing their own survival.
Individuals linked to these efforts included Mohammed Al-Madhoon, who serves as a minister in the Hamas administration; the family of Ismail Al-Ashqar, head of Hamas’s Foreign and Security Committee; and the family of Alaa Al-Din Al-Batta, chairman of another Hamas government body.
COGAT further revealed that about two weeks ago, Anwar Atallah, a member of Gaza City’s municipal council, managed to leave Gaza with his family via the same system that allows Gazans to cross into Jordan and then continue to another country.
“While Hamas calls the residents of Gaza City NOT to move south, its operatives fear for their own lives and are seeking to leave the Gaza Strip. They are using residents of northern Gaza as human shields while looking out for their own interests,” the Coordinator stated.
{Matzav.com Israel}
