According to the UN, around 1.1 million Palestinians may need to migrate in the upcoming 24 hours.
Over a million people have been asked by the Israeli military to leave their houses in Gaza City and travel swiftly to the southern part of Gaza, which the UN has described as having “devastating humanitarian consequences.”
Just before midnight local time, “the entire population of Gaza north of Wadi Gaza should relocate to southern Gaza within the next 24 hours,” according to a notification to the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Department of Safety and Security in Gaza (OCHA oPt), the UN’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement to several media outlets on Friday.
The evacuation order was verified by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), who described it as a “humanitarian step.” There was no precise timeframe mentioned, and a representative acknowledged that it would take “some time.”
“The IDF calls on all residents of Gaza City to evacuate their homes, move south for their protection, and settle in the area south of the Gaza River,” the armed forces stated in a post on X. “You are being evacuated for your own safety. You won’t be able to go back to Gaza City until you have confirmation of this.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) warned that it would “continue to operate significantly in Gaza City in the coming days” and asked civilians to “distance yourself from the Hamas terrorists who use you as a human shield.”
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The UN representative stressed that it is “impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
“This equates to almost 1.1 million individuals. The same directive was given to all UN employees and those receiving shelter in UN buildings, including hospitals, clinics, and schools, the spokeswoman said.
Dujarric continued, “The United Nations urgently asks for any such order, if confirmed, to be revoked in order to prevent turning what is already a tragedy into a catastrophic catastrophe.
According to the OCHA’s most recent flash update, as of Thursday night, 423,378 individuals—or nearly 21% of Gaza’s total population—had already been forced to leave their homes due to continued Israeli bombings. The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) manages housing for about two-thirds of the internally displaced people.
Last Saturday, Hamas terrorists started the Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” raid from Gaza with a barrage of missiles before moving swiftly into Israeli territory and capturing numerous towns and villages. Soon after, there were reports of appalling cruelty, with at least 260 Israeli and foreign citizens being killed at a music festival and an undetermined number being taken prisoner by the militants.
On Sunday, while IDF troops were being sent out to purge Israeli towns and villages of Hamas fighters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed a state of war. Since then, Israeli aircraft have repeatedly attacked Gaza with airstrikes.
Figures released by the Israeli authorities on Friday show that there have been at least 1,300 Israeli fatalities and more than 3,000 injuries. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, over 1,500 Palestinians have died and over 6,000 more have been injured.
