As it prepares to launch troops into Palestine, Israel’s military has ordered the evacuation of over one million civilians in Gaza.
After gunmen poured across the border and ruthlessly slaughtered men, women, and children, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swore to exterminate Hamas terrorists.
Israel’s military has amassed 360,000 troops on the border in preparation for a massive ground invasion.
As the bloody war rages into its seventh day, Israel on Friday, October 13 told those living in Gaza City to flee their homes as the war-torn country aims to eradicate Hamas in revenge for its attacks.
In a hint the expected invasion is imminent, the IDF warned in a statement: “This evacuation is for your own safety.”
It added that Hamas militants are hiding inside tunnels underneath the city and inside buildings where citizens live. Israel said Palestinians should leave north of Wadi Gaza including Gaza City for the south within 24 hours.
The IDF said: “In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians.”
But Hamas called on Palestinians to stay in their homes as it dismissed the orders by Israel as “fake propaganda”.
Gaza has a population of 2.3 million people.
The order by Israel sent panic rippling through civilians and workers already struggling following Israeli airstrikes and a blockade.
Inas Hamdan, an officer at the UN Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza City, said: “This is chaos, no one understands what to do.”
Nebal Farsakh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza City, said there was no way more than one million people could be safely moved that fast.
She said: “Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel.
“The only concern now is just if you’re going to make it, if you’re going to live.
“What will happen to our patients? We have wounded, we have elderly, we have children who are in hospitals.”
After Hamas launched its attack on Saturday, Israel froze all delivery of food, water, fuel, and medication to the tiny enclave.
On Wednesday, Gaza’s sole power station ran out of fuel and shut down, leaving only private generators to power the lights.