Hamas dismissed the evacuation order as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes.
By Isabel DeBre, Edith M. Lederer and Wafaa Schurafa, Associated PressPalestinian families evacuate their homes Friday after the Israeli military warned the United Nations that more than 1 million people in northern Gaza should move south within 24 hours.
Hamas told people to ignore the evacuation order, but some Palestinians hesitated to leave out of fear that nowhere was safe in the tiny territory. Gaza is sealed off from food, water and medical supplies and under a virtual total power blackout. Israel’s raid was the first word of troops entering Gaza since Israel launched its round-the-clock bombardment in retaliation for Hamas’ attack, in which militant fighters massacred hundreds in southern Israel and snatched some 150 people to Gaza as hostages.
The military urged civilians in Gaza’s north to move south — an order that the U.N. said affects 1.1 million people. If carried out, that would mean the territory’s entire population cramming into roughly the southern half of the 40 kilometer strip. But U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said it would be impossible to stage such an evacuation without “devastating humanitarian consequences.” He called on Israel to rescind any such orders, saying they could “transform what is already a tragedy into a calamitous situation.”
“Why should we trust that they’re trying to keep us safe?” Hamoudi said, her voice choking. “They are sick.”Many Palestinians in Gaza still struggled with indecision, not knowing whether to leave or stay. Farsakh, of the Palestinian Red Crescent, said some medics were refusing to leave and abandon patients and were instead calling colleagues to say goodbye.
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