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Israel orders over 1 million Gazans to evacuate ahead of ground operation

More than half of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million residents warned that they must evacuate within 24 hours, as Israel gears up for massive land operation.

By The Associated Press

Israel’s military directed the evacuation on Friday of all of the hundreds of thousands of civilians living in Gaza City ahead of a feared Israel ground offensive.

The directive came on the heels of what the United Nations said was a warning they received from Israel to evacuate the roughly 1.1-1.2 million people living in the north of Gaza within 24 hours.

In total, more than half of the Strip’s 2.3 million residents have been told to evacuate the coastal enclave by Saturday.

As of Thursday, 423,000 Gazans had already left their homes. Many have moved into United Nations facilities in the Strip, while others have fled to Egypt, though restrictions on movement over the border have left long lines at the Rafiah crossing.

The Israeli military pulverized the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip with airstrikes and blocked deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity ahead of a possible ground invasion, following the unprecedented Gaza invasion of Israel that has left nearly 1,400 Israelis dead and over 3,000 more wounded.

Hamas called on Palestinians to stay in their homes Friday after Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders in Gaza. The terrorist group dismissed the warnings as a form of “psychological” warfare.

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The Hamas Authority for Refugee Affairs told residents of the north of the territory to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm in the face of this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation.”