Shapps backs Israel’s Gaza evacuation order but will not say if it is possible
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Grant Shapps has defended Israel after the country’s military gave an order for more than 1 million people to evacuate Gaza within the next 24 hours before an anticipated ground assault.
The UK defence secretary said Israel had done the right thing to give advance notice of the offensive, though he refused to say whether he thought it would be possible for so many people to leave their homes in such a short space of time.
Shapps was speaking after Rishi Sunak announced British military ships and aircraft would be deployed to the region to help with humanitarian efforts and track the movement of weapons.
Shapps told the BBC’s Today programme on Friday: “Israel would say that they not only have been dropping leaflets, not only using a knock and rock technique, which is where a small and non-lethal, explosive goes up to warn people to move, but also they have now issued these broader warnings of their intention. They are in a position where they have the right to defend themselves as a country.”
The defence secretary would not say, however, whether he thought the entire population of northern Gaza wold be able to comply with the Israeli order to move south in the next 24 hours.
He said: “When Hamas went in the other way round, there weren’t any of these options, they went to just murder people. Now the option for Israel is either to just ignore this and allow it to happen again, or actually deal with Hamas.”
Swathes of Gaza Strip reduced to rubble by Israeli airstrikes – video
Israel has sent an evacuation order demanding the entire population north of Wadi Gaza should relocate within 24 hours. Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN secretary general, said the order could affect up to 1.1 million people, adding: “The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Map of area ordered to evacuate in Gaza
In the UK, meanwhile, three Jewish schools in north-west London are to close temporarily over security fears after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war led to an increase in the number of antisemitic attacks.
Torah Vodaas primary school in Edgware, Ateres Beis Yaakov primary school in Colindale, and Menorah high school in Neasden have told parents they will not reopen until Monday.
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Shapps told LBC on Friday: “Every decent person, whether Jewish or Muslim or Christian or anyone else, in this country certainly does not want to see any of these issues from the Middle East reflected here in the United Kingdom, which is a generally safe and extremely tolerant society within which to live.”
The defence secretary renewed his attacks on the BBC, however, for referring to the Hamas fighters as militants rather than terrorists. He told the Today programme: “I think it’s pretty clear that’s terrorist activity, and I think it’s pretty surprising not to hear it being called that now.”
Broadcasters including the BBC, Sky and ITV have called Hamas “militants”, in line with rules set by the broadcast regulator, Ofcom.
Asked whether he wanted a change to the Ofcom rules or whether he was singling out the BBC, Shapps replied: “We’re disappearing down a bit of a rabbit hole here.”