Mass exodus begins from Gaza strip

Israel issues warning to 1mn people in Gaza; says it won't resume supplies until its citizens are freed

Palestinians began a mass exodus from northern Gaza Friday after Israel’s military told some 1 million people to evacuate toward the southern part of the besieged territory, an unprecedented order ahead of an expected ground invasion against the ruling Hamas militant group.

The UN warned that so many people fleeing en masse - almost half the Gaza population - would be calamitous.

Hamas, which staged a shocking and brutal attack on Israel nearly a week ago and has fired thousands of rockets since, dismissed the evacuation order as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes.