Over the past few days, soldiers and officers of Unit 504 in the Intelligence Division of the IDF have made efforts to appeal to dozens of residents in the Gaza Strip, urging them to evacuate south for their safety and that of their families. Despite these efforts, Hamas has prevented them from evacuating to the southern part of the Gaza Strip. This is consistent with past tactics employed by the terrorist organization, where they set up barriers to hinder residents from moving, essentially using them as human shields.

On Thursday morning, the IDF released a recording that was revealed to the world media for the first time. It captured a conversation that an officer in the unit had with a resident of Gaza. In this conversation, the officer detailed the actions that Hamas is undertaking in its attempt to prevent residents from relocating to the safer southern Gaza Strip.

IDF releases an audio recording of an officer speaking to a Palestinian in Gaza. The many describes how Hamas is blocking roads and shooting at people to prevent them from evacuating to the south. pic.twitter.com/OejIP3Qyjx

— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) October 26, 2023

During the conversation, the officer urged the resident, saying, "Turn towards Khan Yunis urgently to ensure your safety. I don't want you to endanger yourself." The resident responded, explaining that all the roads are blocked, confirming that Hamas had indeed blocked the roads. He described how the terrorist organization forces people back, stating, "In the car, people go, and they simply return them home. They even resort to shooting at people who attempt to leave."

בנוסף, לוחמי זרוע הים תקפו עמדת שיגור של טילי קרקע אוויר של מערך האווירי של ארגון הטרור חמאס באזור חאן יונס, העמדה מוקמה בסמוך למסגד ולגן ילדים. pic.twitter.com/roX2Aomf6J

— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) October 26, 2023

This comes following a statement by IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hagari, who reported that the ground raid conducted in the Gaza Strip on the previous night lasted for several hours, and thankfully, there were no casualties among our forces. He also mentioned that 224 hostages have been identified, with this number being continually updated based on available intelligence. According to Hagari, the IDF's ground raid in the northern Gaza Strip was aimed at gathering information on the ground, especially concerning those who were kidnapped or missing.

A fourth convoy of aid trucks has entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing. So far everything has gone smoothly.

— Shaiel Ben-Ephraim (@academic_la) October 24, 2023

The IDF spokesman further noted that in the past day, fighter jets attacked more than 250 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip. These targets included terrorist infrastructures, operational headquarters, terrorist tunnel entrances, and rocket launchers deliberately positioned in civilian areas. Of particular concern was the aerial formation of the terrorist organization in the Khan Yunis area, which is dangerously close to a mosque and a kindergarten.