Israeli military orders more than one million Palestinians in north Gaza to evacuate, UN says
manchestereveningnews.co.ukIsrael's military has told more than one million Palestinians living in Gaza to evacuate the north, according to the United Nations.
It is an unprecedented order for almost half the population of the sealed-off territory ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.
The UN has warned that so many people fleeing en masse would be calamitous. Hamas, which staged a brutal attack on Israel this week, dismissed the order as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes, adding to the widespread panic.
The evacuation order, which includes Gaza City, home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, sparked confusion among civilians and aid workers already running from Israeli air strikes and contending with a total siege and a territory-wide power blackout. READ MORE: PM calls on Israel to 'protect ordinary Palestinians' as it hunts Hamas terrorists READ MORE: British hostages in Gaza 'very likely', Grant Shapps says Palestinians would only be able to flee south within Gaza as Israel has completely sealed off the territory, a narrow strip of land about 25 miles long.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk
