The Israeli military reported a “significant movement” of Palestinians toward the southern region, following a directive for Gaza City residents to evacuate issued in response to Hamas’ recent actions. Israel’s Prime Minister also pledged further retaliation in the wake of the attack by Hamas.
US President Joe Biden acknowledged ongoing consultations with regional governments to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Trapped Palestinians experienced a power blackout and shortages of food and water due to intense Israeli bombings.
Israel has vowed to retaliate against Hamas for their attack a week ago, which resulted in the deaths of 1,300 Israelis, primarily civilians, and the seizure of hostages.
As a result, Israel placed the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under total siege and subjected it to unprecedented airstrikes. Gaza authorities reported that 1,900 people have died.
On Friday, more than one million residents of northern Gaza received orders from Israel to evacuate to the south within 24 hours, a deadline that passed at 5 a.m. (0200 GMT).
Hamas vowed to continue fighting, encouraging residents to stay.
An Israeli military spokesperson disclosed that tank-backed troops had carried out raids to target Palestinian rocket crews and gather information about the location of hostages. This was the first official confirmation of ground troops in Gaza since the crisis began.
The health ministry reported that at least 1,900 Gazans, the majority of them civilians, including over 600 children, were killed in missile strikes on the densely populated enclave.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, visiting Israel on Friday, accused Hamas of using residents as shields in Gaza, where Israel has cut off water, fuel, and food supplies. US President Joe Biden, while addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stated that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians were not connected to Hamas’s attacks and were suffering as a result.
Tensions escalated in the Middle East and beyond, with protests in support of the Palestinians and concerns of a separate confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In the occupied West Bank, at least 16 Palestinians were killed in clashes with Israeli forces during protests in support of Gaza.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh accused Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, while Israel’s spokesperson held Hamas responsible for all events in Gaza.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Israel risked imposing an “unacceptable” siege in Gaza, similar to the Nazi blockade of Leningrad during World War II.
Israel has encountered a potential second front in the north, as the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon expressed readiness to join the conflict with Hamas when the time is right.
A Reuters video journalist was killed, and several reporters from AFP, Reuters, and Al Jazeera were injured in southern Lebanon due to cross-border shelling. Demonstrations in support of the Palestinians also took place in various countries, including Beirut, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, and Bahrain, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting.
The United Nations called the evacuation order, aimed at nearly half of Gaza’s 2.4 million population, “impossible” and demanded its rescission due to the dangerous conditions it posed. Gaza’s hospitals are struggling to cope with the dead and wounded, with the health system on the brink of collapse.
The international community is grappling with the growing crisis in Gaza, with diplomatic efforts to address the situation underway.