Yesterday morning, Israel gave 1.1 million Palestinians 24 hours to evacuate Gaza City and the areas north of the Gaza Strip. That deadline has now expired. Thousands of people have fled south in the last 24 hours, by car, bus, motorbike, bicycle and on foot. According to Israel’s military spokesman, Jonathan Conricus, the army is going to enter a “new military operation.” – When we do, remember how this started, Conricus said on Saturday morning. Israeli soldiers around the Gaza Strip. Photo: ARIS MESSINIS / AFP Tanks surround Gaza It has been a week since Hamas attacked Israel with rockets and foot soldiers. Over 1,300 people were killed and close to 6,000 injured, according to Israeli authorities. Several of the victims were children. Over 120 hostages, among them children and the elderly, were taken to Gaza by Hamas. The Gaza Strip has been under almost continuous Israeli attacks for the past week. The health authorities in Gaza say that 1,799 people have been killed in attacks, among them 583 children. 7,388 civilians have been injured, according to a message from the health authorities on Friday. Around the Gaza Strip, Israel’s reserve soldiers stand in formation, getting ready for the next step. – They are all around Gaza, in the south in the center in the north, they are preparing for the next step, says Jonathan Conricus in the Israeli army. He says the goal is clear: – We must destroy Hamas and fundamentally change the situation, so that Hamas will never again be able to harm civilians or soldiers in Israel. Nowhere to flee Thousands of Palestinians have fled south. One of them is Nour Swirki and her family with two children aged 10 and 13. – We are in a kind of refugee camp in the south, there is a lack of everything. This is a war crime, she says in a voice message to news. Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip and is not letting in food, water, medicine or fuel. – It is a humanitarian disaster, says Swirki. Palestinians in Gaza City try to flee south. Photo: Hatem Moussa / AP Confusion about deadline There has been confusion about the message that was given to the residents of Gaza from Israel yesterday. The message reached the media – and the Palestinians – last night. But Israel has not confirmed the deadline, which has been strongly criticized by the UN and humanitarian organisations. It is not safe to relocate 1.1 million people in such a short time, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Norwegian Refugee Council has called it a collective punishment.
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