Abbas Affirms to Blinken ‘Full Rejection’ of Gaza Displacement, Warns of ‘Second Nakba’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
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Abbas Affirms to Blinken ‘Full Rejection’ of Gaza Displacement, Warns of ‘Second Nakba’

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday warned against a “second Nakba” catastrophe facing Palestinians after the Jewish state ordered the evacuation of north Gaza amid the ongoing Hamas-Israel war.

We “completely reject the displacement of our people from the Gaza Strip, because it will be tantamount to a second Nakba for our people,” he said during his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Amman, according to a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The Nakba, or “catastrophe,” refers to some 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes during the 1948 war that coincided with Israel’s creation.

His remarks came after Israel ordered the Gaza Strip residents to flee from the north, an area home to some 1.1 million people. The UN warned of this order’s "devastating humanitarian consequences."

This order concurs with the seventh day of the war between the Jewish state and the “Hamas” movement and the increased possibility of a ground invasion of the besieged Strip.

The Strip has been under the control of the Movement since 2007 when the latter expelled the Palestinian Authority from it by force.

Israel's military warned residents of Gaza City on Friday morning that they had to leave the city and head into the southern half of the Gaza Strip, affirming that they would not be allowed to return before another statement was issued.

Hamas rejected the orders to evacuate the north of the Strip that continues to be shelled by Israel.

The Movement said that the Palestinians reject the threat of the occupation leaders and their calls on them in Gaza to leave their homes and move to the south or to Egypt. “We are steadfast on our land, in our homes, and in our cities... and there will be no displacement or deportation.”

There have been repeated calls for opening humanitarian corridors before the potential ground invasion by Israel, especially through the Rafah Border Crossing.

Egypt's President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi on Thursday urged Gazans to "stay steadfast and remain on their land," warning that the displacement of Gaza residents ends the Palestinian cause.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.