Israel Says Many Palestinian Civilians Are Moving South

The Israeli army said on Saturday that one day after ordering residents of Gaza City to evacuate, it has witnessed a "significant movement" of Palestinian civilians to the south, as Israeli Prime Minister promised "more retaliation" in response to Hamas's terrorist attacks last week. U.S. President Joe Biden stated that consultations with regional governments regarding the humanitarian crisis in Gaza are ongoing, as Palestinians face severe bombardment from Israel alongside power outages and shortages of water and food. Israel has committed to "destroy" the Iran-backed militants of Hamas due to a week-old attack in which Hamas militants killed 1,300 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took many citizens hostage. Since then, Israel has placed the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas and home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a "complete siege" and has bombarded it with unprecedented airstrikes. Gaza officials report that 1,900 people have died in these attacks. On Friday, over a million residents of northern Gaza received a warning from Israel to flee south within 24 hours, a deadline that expired at 5 a.m. local time. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli army spokesman, said early Saturday in a video conference, "We have seen significant movement of Palestinian civilians towards the south." He did not refer to the "deadline." Around the Gaza Strip, Israeli reserve soldiers are preparing for the next phase of operations. They are stationed around the Gaza Strip, in the south, center, and north, readying themselves for any action. Hamas militants have vowed to "fight to the last drop of blood" and told residents to stay. An Israeli army spokesman said on Friday that tank-supported forces have conducted strikes targeting locations from which rockets are fired at Israel and gathered intelligence on the whereabouts of hostages, marking the first official report of ground forces in Gaza since the crisis began. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a Friday announcement, "We are striking our enemies with unprecedented force. I emphasize that this is only the beginning." According to a United Nations report, which indicated that over 400,000 Palestinians have been displaced internally due to the conflict before the evacuation order for northern Gaza, it is estimated that tens of thousands of Palestinians have moved south following Israel's order. However, many others said they would stay. A 20-year-old named Mohammad, outside a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike near central Gaza, said, "Death is better than leaving." Mosques in Gaza are broadcasting the message to "hold on to your homes, cling to your land." The UN and other organizations have warned of a disaster if a large number of people are forced to flee, stating that the siege must be lifted to allow for aid.