Thousands flee ahead of expected invasion of Gaza

Thousands of people fled from the north to the southern half of Gaza yesterday in advance of an expected ground invasion of the blockaded strip as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict descended into its bloodiest period in decades

- Bethan McKernan

• Israeli army issues mass evacuation orders to over a million residents
• Continued airstrikes and shelling of Gaza six days after Hamas attack

As the exodus continued, there were fears of further escalation of violence on several fronts after the massacre of Israeli civilians by the militant group Hamas.

Almost half of Gaza's 2.3 million trapped civilians had to decide whether to leave home, possibly never to return, after the Israeli army issued mass evacuation orders in the early hours of yesterday.

Following the order from Israel for the population to move south of the Gaza River, just south of Gaza City, however, messages from Hamas broadcast by mosques around the tiny strip called on residents to stay put. The messages called the order "Israeli propaganda" and told Palestinians to "hold on to your homes and land".

For most of the day, there were no signs of mass movement. But as the afternoon wore on, it appeared many people decided that if they were going to move, it had to be before nightfall. At that point the strip, where Israel has cut electricity, would be plunged into a sixth night of total darkness amid continued airstrikes and shelling.

By around 3pm yesterday, thousands of people from the northern town of Beit Hanoun, and sprawling Gaza City had begun making their way south by any means possible.

Some people packed into cars and trucks, but with fuel supplies low because of the tightening of Israel's siege on the Mediterranean enclave, many simply started to walk.