Israel Palestine War Live Updates: The Israeli military on Friday dropped flyers on Gaza warning residents to flee “immediately” to the south. Earlier, Hamas fired hundreds of rockets towards the city of Ashkelon in Israel “in response to the displacement and targeting of civilians”. Earlier today, Israel’s military called for all civilians of Gaza City, more than 1 million people, to relocate south within 24 hours, as it amassed tanks ahead of an expected ground invasion after a devastating attack by the militant group Hamas.
The Israeli military said it would operate “significantly” in Gaza City in coming days and civilians should only return when advised. More than 1,500 Palestinians have already been killed in retaliatory attacks.
However, a Hamas official urged citizens not to leave Gaza. Its military wing later said that 13 among scores of people it captured from Israel had been killed in the latest Israeli air strikes.
Reuters reported that hours after the Israeli evacuation call, there were no signs people were leaving Gaza City, where dozens gathered at the al-Shifa Hospital, vowing to stay put.
At least 1,537 individuals, including 500 children and 267 women, have lost their lives so far in Gaza in the Israeli bombardments. An additional 6,612 people have sustained injuries.
In the Gaza Strip, meanwhile, residents are facing ever-growing uncertainty after the territory’s only power plant ran out of fuel and shut down Wednesday. Without power, communication is limited and information is scarce.
The war has claimed at least 2,800 lives on both sides since Hamas launched an incursion on Oct. 7.
The number of people forced from their homes by the airstrikes soared 25% in a day, reaching 423,000 out of a population of 2.3 million, the United Nations said Thursday. Most crowded into U.N.-run schools. Families were cutting down to one meal a day, said Rami Swailem, a 34-year-old lecturer at al-Azhar University, who had 32 relatives sheltering in his home. Water stopped coming to the building two days ago, and they have rationed what’s left in a tank on the roof.
The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza rose to 1,537, with 6,612 people wounded, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Thursday. Of those killed, 500 were under the age of 18, the ministry said.
Palestinians were reporting heavy Israeli airstrikes across the besieged Gaza Strip, with bombardment on residential buildings in densely populated city districts and refugee camps. (The Economic Times)
