Frightened Palestinians packed belongings and left their homes in northern Gaza on Friday after Israel’s military demanded that more than 1 million civilians move to the south of the blockaded coastal strip, a possible precursor to a ground invasion but one that the United Nations warned could be calamitous.
Frightened Palestinians packed belongings and left their homes in northern Gaza on Friday after Israel’s military demanded that more than 1 million civilians move to the south of the blockaded coastal strip, a possible precursor to a ground invasion but one that the United Nations warned could be calamitous.
Israel’s buildup of soldiers near the border with the Gaza Strip has fueled speculation that it is preparing to invade the Hamas-held territory in response to last weekend’s incursion that killed more than 1,300 people. Israel last sent troops into the enclave in 2014.
But many Palestinians were reluctant to leave their homes for southern Gaza, which has even fewer resources, and routes to get there have been damaged by a week of Israeli strikes. Hamas officials urged Palestinians not to comply with what they called Israel’s “psychological warfare.
