Israel Has Ordered 1.1 Million Palestinians To Evacuate Gaza Within Just 24 Hours
1.1 million people is half of Gaza’s population.
In the latest development in the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Israel has ordered 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate Gaza within just 24 hours.
The United Nations said Israel’s military had told it late Thursday Oct. 12 that all civilians living in Gaza City and in the north of the Gaza Strip should move south within 24 hours.
That’s half of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
The Israeli military sent a warning to Gaza civilians saying the evacuation was for “their own safety” and that they would only be allowed to return when permitted.
It said that it will continue to “operate significantly” in Gaza City in the following days.
More than 1,500 Palestinians have already been killed and more than 6,000 injured as a result of intense Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
An evacuation of this scale is unprecedented in recent history, according to Bloomberg.
The UN called Israel’s evacuation order “impossible”, adding that it would have “devastating humanitarian consequences”.
It has called for the order to be withdrawn.
Hamas has told people to ignore the order, saying it is part of Israel’s “psychological warfare”.
