Palestinians fleeing the northern Gaza Strip have crammed into cars and donkey carts in a desperate attempt to leave before Israel’s exodus deadline.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had given more than 1 million civilians just 24 hours to escape to south Gaza – a deadline that ended at 3am BST.
As civilians struggled to escape from areas targeted by the IDF, Hamas terrorists urged Palestinians to ignore the evacuation order.
And some refused to leave, including Mahmoud Shalabi – director of Medical Aid for Palestinians – who said ‘no place was safe in Gaza’ and he hoped to ‘die with dignity.’
According to the Palestine Health Authority, a convoy of vehicles full of fleeing civilians was hit by an airstrike on Friday, killing 70 people – mostly women and children.
Gaza authorities said more than 2,200 people have been killed, with another 10,000 wounded, Reuters reported.
Complicating matters even further, the UN agency overseeing relief efforts warned that ‘more than 2 million people are at risk as water runs out’ in Gaza.
Water has stopped coming out of taps across the territory, with many civilians waiting for even just trickles of water to give to their families.
The only tap water available in Gaza is contaminated with Mediterranean Sea water due to lack of sanitation facilities. Some residents have even taken to drinking salt water.
While most civilians in northern Gaza desperately tried to contact drivers for ways to leave under Israel’s military evacuation deadline, Gaza City resident Rami Swailem said: “We are rooted in our lands. We prefer to die in dignity and face our destiny.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel would ‘never forget’ last weekend’s terrorist attacks by Hamas, and he warned that ‘this is just the beginning.’
IDF tanks and elite commandos have already started ‘localized’ raids into Gaza to target Hamas militants and weaponry, while tanks are lining the border for a major ground offensive.
The IDF confirmed Saturday it had killed two top Hamas leaders, including Murad Abu Murad and Ali Qadi.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that a drone strike had killed several militants who tried to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon.
The conflict began with Hamas’ terrorist attacks on October 7, which killed at least 1,300 people, according to authorities.
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