After more than a month of the Israel-Hamas conflict, journalists have been denied access to the Gaza Strip. As the Israeli ground offensive intensifies, army troops are taking reporters on guided tours of the besieged area. Our correspondent Claire Duhamel was embedded with them in northern Gaza for three hours. Here is her report.
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Israeli flags are flying over the ruins of Gaza. In the northern villages of the enclave, Israeli Defence Force (IDF) personnel are conducting house-to-house searches for Hamas militants. They claim to have destroyed Hamas tunnels and gained control of the area.
Inside a dilapidated building, a soldier asks FRANCE 24 not to film him out of concern for his wife’s worry. “She’d be so worried if she knew I was here. So don’t take a picture of me,” he says.
Lieutenant-Colonel Gilad Pasternak, the commander of five battalions in the area, expresses his lieutenant’s legitimate concerns. “We’re exposed to all kinds of dangers here, like mortar and drone fire,” he says.
As part of the operation, Israeli forces are patrolling “humanitarian corridors” to provide civilians with a safe path to the south, away from the intense fighting and air strikes.
“Yes, you can call it forced displacement, but at the same time, we didn’t invade them on October 7. They invaded us,” says Asher, an IDF lieutenant. “We’re doing our best to help them while ensuring our objectives. Our goal is to get our people home safely.”
With the ground offensive continuing, the Israeli government faces mounting international criticism for civilian casualties. “There’s always talk of a proportionate response … There is no proportionate response in war,” says Asher.
Click on the video player above to watch the full report by Claire Duhamel and Irris Makler.
