The Israeli military has ordered 1.1 million civilians to evacuate northern Gaza within 24 hours, as it is believed that the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) will start a ground offensive.
However, the Israeli army has admitted that the evacuation will “take time” and that it “on’t take 24 hours.”
In a statement, the United Nations said, “The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
A White House official who was close to tears said, “we’re bracing ourselves for what comes next,” NBC News reported.
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Sky News reported that a senior White House official said that some people within the Biden administration have family members living in Israel.
The senior official said, “We deal with mass casualty events with some amount of frequency on the national security team.
“But this one has at times felt like more than any one person can bear. It’s clear people are carrying their grief with them.”
An army spokesman Daniel Hagari told journalists, “We are trying to provide the time and we are doing a lot of effort, and we understand it won’t take 24 hours.”
Hagari was asked by journalists if the army had notified UN officials that Gazans have 24 hours to evacuate, he added, “I will not say (if) it’s an accurate time.”
It has been reported that Hamas are stopping civilians from leaving their homes since Israel has warned of imminent strikes.
Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza City, said, “Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only concern now is just if you’ll make it, if you’re going to live.”
Israel has fired around 6,000 bombs over the last six days which weigh around 4,000 tonnes each and more than 3,600 targets in Gaza have been hit.
Hamas has said that 13 hostages have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip which includes foreigners.
The British Defence Secretary Grant Shapps, told Sky News that Britons were “very likely” to be among the hostages.
