Israel has given an ultimatum to some 1 million Palestinians to evacuate northern Gaza and head to the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order applying to almost half the population ahead of an expected ground invasion.
The UN warned that so many people fleeing en masse with just a 24-hour deadline would be calamitous and have devastating humanitarian consequences. But Israel remained unfazed.
Hamas dismisses warning as psychological trick
Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, dismissed it as a ploy and called on people to stay put in their homes and not succumb to the psychological warfare. Nonetheless, the evacuation order sparked widespread panic among civilians and aid workers who are already scurrying for cover under incessant bombing and have to contend with a total siege and a territory-wide blackout.
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While some of them picked up their mattresses and were fleeing by car, on the back of trucks and even on foot, there was no sign of an exodus.
"Death is better than leaving"
"Death is better than leaving," said Mohammad, 20, standing in the street outside a building reduced to rubble in an Israeli air strike near the centre of Gaza. "I was born here, and I will die here, leaving is a stigma."
New York Times cited the instance of one Tasneem Ismail Ahel. Her parents and five siblings left their home in Gaza City to seek shelter amid Israeli airstrikes, and are now cramped in one home with 22 relatives.
"The situation is horrific, the 19-year-old wrote in one of a series of WhatsApp messages on Friday afternoon. We cant do anything. We hear the bombing and we dont know which direction its coming from."
Mass evacuation could happen to 1.1 million people
If the mass evacuation indeed takes place which would affect 1.1 million people it would mean the territorys entire population cramming into roughly the southern half of the strip, which is only 40 kilometres (25 miles) long. Gazas Health Ministry said it was not possible to evacuate the many wounded from hospitals already struggling with high numbers of dead and injured and that hospital staff would not heed the warning.
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, also said it would not evacuate its schools, where hundreds of thousands have taken shelter. A day after visiting Israel, the US secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, met King Abdullah II of Jordan and discussed the need to expedite the delivery of emergency supplies into Gaza.
Israel not allowing supplies to Gaza or Egypt
Israel has said it will not allow any supplies into Gaza, and Egypt, which controls the other exit point, has not said whether it will do so either. A Hamas spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said that the group had achieved more than it had hoped for in its attack on Israel. We are telling the enemy, if you dare enter Gaza, we will destroy your army, he said.
The war has already claimed over 2,800 lives on both sides and sent tensions soaring across the region. Israel has traded fire in recent days with Lebanons Hezbollah militant group, sparking fears of an ever wider conflict, though that frontier is currently calm.
Egypt Closes Its Border With Gaza
Neighbouring Egypt has meanwhile taken unprecedented measures to reinforce its border with Gaza and prevent any breaches, a senior Egyptian security official said. Egypt, which made peace with Israel decades ago and has long served as a regional mediator, is staunchly opposed to resettling Palestinians on its territory, both because of the costs involved and because it would undermine their quest for an independent state. The Rafah crossing from Gaza into Egypt, the only one not controlled by Israel, has been closed because of airstrikes.
