JERUSALEM-In a developing situation, the Israeli military reported a "significant movement" of Palestinian civilians towards the south, a day after ordering residents of Gaza City to evacuate, following last week's violence initiated by Hamas.
The U.S. President, Joe Biden, has confirmed ongoing consultations with regional governments to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where trapped Palestinians face power outages and shortages of essential supplies amid relentless Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus revealed that Israeli reserve soldiers are positioned around the Gaza Strip, preparing for the next stage of operations, with the goal of dismantling Hamas and its military capabilities. Hamas, in response, vowed to continue fighting, urging residents to remain in place.
The Israeli military previously disclosed tank-backed ground operations in Gaza, targeting Palestinian rocket crews and gathering information about hostages. Additionally, an Israeli drone thwarted a group of militants attempting to infiltrate from Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized the strength of their response and declared, "This is only the beginning."
Despite the Israeli evacuation order, tens of thousands of Palestinians are reported to have headed south from northern Gaza, while others defiantly chose to stay, expressing their determination to hold onto their homes and land.
International organizations and the United Nations have warned of a potential disaster if a massive displacement were to occur, calling for the lifting of the Gaza blockade to allow humanitarian aid access. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized the need for immediate humanitarian assistance.
President Biden, addressing the crisis, reiterated that most Palestinians are not involved with Hamas and are suffering due to the conflict. U.S. teams are actively collaborating with various regional partners and the United Nations to address the situation.
The United Nations has expressed concern about the feasibility of Israel's evacuation order, given the densely populated war zone, prompting a response from Israel that calls for the U.N. to condemn Hamas and support Israel's right to self-defense.
Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, raised concerns that the forced displacement could resemble the events of 1948 when many Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel. Gaza's population is primarily composed of descendants of these refugees.
Gaza remains one of the world's most densely populated areas, and both Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on its borders.
Demonstrations in support of Gaza in the West Bank led to violent clashes with Israeli security forces, resulting in casualties. There are also fears of hostilities spreading, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, where recent clashes have been among the deadliest since 2006.
In a tragic incident, one of the Reuters video journalist was killed in southern Lebanon by missiles believed to have been fired from Israel. Six other journalists were injured.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a Hezbollah lawmaker attributed the incident to Israel, while Israel's U.N. envoy stated an intention to investigate the matter, emphasizing Israel's commitment to avoiding harm to journalists doing their job.