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The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released an audio recording it said captured a conversation between an Israeli officer and a Gaza City resident, alleging that Hamas was preventing civilians from fleeing to safety in order to use them as human shields.“EXPOSED: ‘We want to go south but Hamas are waiting for us on the way” – Gaza resident reveals Hamas blocking evacuation The testimony between a Gaza City resident and a COGAT officer shows Hamas preventing civilians from moving south, using them as human shields’,” IDF wrote in a social media post on Wednesday.The tape was originally released by COGAT (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories) – the Israeli defence body responsible for implementing the government’s civilian policy in the West Bank and toward the Gaza Strip. In the recording, which appears to be in Arabic, the COGAT officer asks if the civilian is in northern Gaza, and the person confirms. When asked why, the resident replies: “We want to leave, but they are blocking the way.”The officer then asks if ‘they’ refers to Hamas, and the resident replies: “Yes. They tell us, ‘Go back home, there is no evacuation. Go back, go back, people are scattering.'”The officer asks whether people are afraid to cross, and the civilian responds: “Honestly, they are afraid. Some people are using side streets, looking for alternative routes. Hamas is standing on the seashore near Al-Nablusi and other places, directing people to move south through destroyed houses instead of the main roads.’” Israel has launched the initial stages of a major offensive in Gaza City, aiming to seize the enclave. Overnight and into Wednesday, strikes across the Strip killed at least 31 people, according to local hospitals.Also Read | Israel-Hamas war: IDF begins first phase of Gaza City takeover plan; all you need to knowMeanwhile, Israelis held nationwide demonstrations against the call-up of 60,000 reservists for the expanded operation, which has drawn global condemnation. Protesters accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prolonging the conflict for political gain instead of pursuing a ceasefire deal that could secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas in the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war.
