Israel gave civilians still trapped inside freshly encircled Gaza City a four-hour window to leave on Tuesday.
It said its forces had surrounded the city, home to a third of the Gaza Strip's 2.3 million people, and were poised to attack it soon in a campaign to annihilate the Hamas Islamists who attacked Israeli towns exactly a month ago.
In some of the first direct comments on Israel's plans for the future of Gaza after the war, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would take on security responsibility for the territory for an indefinite period once it defeats the militants that have controlled it for the past 16 years.
Israel gave residents a window from 10am to 2pm to leave Gaza City.
Residents said Israeli tanks had been moving mostly at night, with Israeli forces largely relying on air and artillery strikes to clear a path for their ground advance.
"For your safety, take this next opportunity to move south beyond Wadi Gaza," the military announced, referring to the wetlands that bisect the strip.
A still image taken from an Israeli military video showed what the military said were Palestinians holding white flags as they moved south in a line. Hamas said the army had forced the people in the video to act that way to humiliate them.
Gaza's Interior Ministry said 900,000 Palestinians were still sheltering in northern Gaza, including in Gaza City.
"The most dangerous trip in my life. We saw the tanks from point blank. We saw decomposed body parts. We saw death," resident Adam Fayez Zeyara posted with a selfie of himself on the road out of Gaza City.
While Israel's military operation is focused on the northern half of Gaza, the south has also come under attack.
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 08, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin November 08, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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