The Israeli military declared Saturday night its readiness for "significant ground operations" in Gaza City, exacerbating the already dire situation in the enclave in a continuation of a week-long battle against Hamas as the Palestinian group rocked the country with its unprecedented attack a week earlier.
This claim raises the possibility of an invasion by land and sea of the besieged Gaza Strip, which has also been subject to heavy airstrikes. Over 2,200 martyrdoms, including many children, and nearly 10,000 injuries have been reported by Gazan authorities.
Israel pounded northern Gaza with more airstrikes Saturday as it encouraged Palestinians to leave the region ahead of an anticipated ground offensive against Hamas commanders, one week after the bloodiest attack in its history.
According to AFP, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, troops fired at the densely populated enclave, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the sky.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a flak jacket, visited troops on the border frontline, raising expectations of an imminent invasion.
"Are you ready for what is coming? More is coming," he was saying to several soldiers in a video released by his office.
There has been no let-up in Israel's response to the Hamas fighters' dawn raid, which saw them break through the heavily fortified border and gun down, stab and burn to death more than 1,300 people.
On the Gazan side, health officials said more than 2,200 people had been martyred.
But with food, water, fuel and medical supplies running low because of an Israeli blockade, aid agencies are warning of an impending humanitarian crisis.
On the diplomatic front, Saudi Arabia pressed for an "immediate ceasefire", while the United States called on China to use its regional influence to push for calm.
Israel, which has likened last week's attacks to those on September 11, 2001, in the United States, has fired thousands of missiles at northern Gaza.
One air strike killed Ali Qadi, described as "a company commander of the Hamas 'Nukhba' commando force" involved in the unprecedented attack, the army said.
"Localised" raids have also taken place, as Israeli troops encircle the Gaza Strip, said army spokesman Jonathan Conricus.
"We will likely evolve into additional significant combat operations," he added. "When we do so, remember how this started... All of this is Hamas-made."
Some 1.1 million people — nearly half the population of 2.4 million — live in the north of Gaza, and aid agencies have said forcing them to move is an impossibility as the war rages.
Exiled Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel on Saturday of committing "war crimes" in Gaza and blocking the supply of much-needed aid.
In a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, posted on the militant group's website, he called Israel's cutting off of electricity, water and fuel supplies "barbaric".
But he ruled out any "displacement" of Gazans, including to Egypt.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, which several Western governments, including the United States. have proscribed as a terrorist organisation, and likened to the Daeish.
But it maintains that ordinary Palestinians are not their target.
Safe passage
Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht urged civilians in northern Gaza not to delay in getting out, with a "window" for safe passage between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm.
He did not say how many days the window would remain open.
Gazans, who cannot leave the enclave as it is blockaded by both Israel and Egypt, have packed what belongings they can into bags and suitcases, to trudge through the rubble-strewn streets.
A stream of cars, trucks, three-wheeled vehicles and donkey-drawn carts joined the frantic mass movement south, all loaded with families and their belongings, mattresses, bedding and bags strapped onto the roofs of parked vehicles.
Roads in the 40-kilometre (25-mile) long territory were jammed. But putting distance between people and the bombings had not dispelled fear.
"We wake up to the killing and death under the bombs," said Mohamed Abu Ali, who lives in Gaza.
"We don´t know where to go, where is safe. We have no food, water or electricity," he added.
International aid agencies, including the UN and Red Cross, plus several foreign diplomats have voiced concern about the feasibility of the evacuation plan.
"We fear an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe," said Ivan Karakashian, of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
The Red Cross said Saturday it was "appalled" by the human misery unleashed by the war between Hamas and Israel, saying its volunteers would not abandon those who needed them most.
It called on both sides to abide by international humanitarian law, protect civilians and allow humanitarian organisations to alleviate the growing levels of suffering.
"The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is appalled to see the human misery that has unfolded over the last week in Israel and Gaza," with civilians paying the highest price, a statement said.
Thousands of Palestinians sought refuge Saturday after Israel warned them to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground offensive against Hamas, one week after the deadliest attack in Israel´s history.
"Nothing can justify the horrific loss of civilian lives in Israel last weekend... but such tragedy cannot in turn justify the limitless destruction of Gaza," the Red Cross statement said.
"We are deeply alarmed by the call for relocation in Gaza. Our volunteers refuse to leave and abandon those who need them most. They must be protected — so that they can protect others."
The joint statement was issued by the heads of both branches of the Red Cross Movement: Jagan Chapagain of the IFRC and Robert Mardini of the ICRC.
Alarm has grown over the fate of Palestinian civilians in blockaded and besieged Gaza if it becomes the scene of intense urban combat.
The Red Cross chiefs said there was "devastating" human suffering on all sides, and in international humanitarian law, "there is no hierarchy in pain and suffering".
"These rules exist to help preserve humanity in the darkest moments, and they desperately need to be followed today. They are and should remain our compass to ensure that we put humanity first," the statement said.
"The Movement is committed to continuing to provide protection and life-saving relief to the people suffering the horrors of the ongoing violence.
"The needs are staggering and will only continue to increase if the hostilities persist. We call on all parties to exercise restraint, to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law, and to protect civilians."
Armed forces gathered around the Gaza Strip as the deadline came and went. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Israeli infantrymen outside of Gaza and advised them to be prepared for "the next stage," without going into further detail.
Hamas has warned citizens not to leave and claims that the roads are dangerous. It claims that strikes on cars and trucks carrying refugees on Friday resulted in the deaths of dozens of people, a claim that Reuters was unable to independently confirm. Israel claims that Hamas is keeping individuals inside so that it can use them as human shields; Hamas disputes this.
According to locals who sought refuge at the nearby Al Quds hospital, airplanes struck a residential area throughout the night in Gaza City's Tel Al-Hawa sector, which Israel ordered vacated.
"We lived a night of horror. Israel punished us for not wanting to leave our home. Is there brutality worse than this?", a father of three said by telephone from the hospital, declining to give his name for fear of reprisals."
"I was never going to leave, I prefer to die and not leave, but I can't see my wife and children die before my eyes."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Saturday on China, a partner of Iran, to use its influence to push for calm in the Middle East after Hamas militants struck Israel, provoking retaliation and fears that violence will spread.
The top US diplomat, who was visiting Saudi Arabia, had a "productive" one-hour telephone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
"Our message was that he thinks it´s in our shared interest to stop the conflict from spreading," Miller told reporters on Blinken´s plane from Riyadh to Abu Dhabi.
"He thought it could be useful if China could use its influence."
China has a warm relationship with Iran, whose clerical leadership supports both Hamas, the Palestinian group ruling Gaza that carried out grisly attacks inside Israel a week ago, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that could open a second front against Israel.
Wang for his part said that the United States should "play a constructive and responsible role, pushing the issue back on track for a political settlement as soon as possible," according to a readout published by the Chinese foreign ministry.
"When dealing with international hot-spot issues, major countries must adhere to objectivity and fairness, maintain calmness and restraint, and take the lead in abiding by international law," said Wang.
The Chinese foreign minister added that Beijing called for "the convening of an international peace meeting as soon as possible to promote the reaching of broad consensus".
"The fundamental outlet for the Palestinian issue lies in implementing a ´two-state solution´," said Wang.
China´s official statements on the conflict have not specifically named Hamas in their condemnations of violence, leading to criticism from some Western officials who said they were too weak.
The United States considers China to be its main global challenger but the two powers have been working to stabilise their relationship, with Blinken paying a rare visit to Beijing in June.
Miller said the Middle East was an example of areas where the two powers could work together.
Earlier this year, China brokered a deal in which Iran and Saudi Arabia restored ties after a seven-year rupture.
In a separate call on Saturday, Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told Wang that China should use its position as a permanent member of the UN Security Council to push "for an immediate cessation of military operations" in Gaza, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.
The phone call between Blinken and Wang also included a discussion on China-US relations, which have been heavily strained in recent years by a range of thorny trade and geopolitical issues.
But Wang suggested there were some positive signs.
"China and the United States have recently carried out a series of high-level contacts, and bilateral relations appear to have stopped sliding and to stabilise," he said.
"(This) has been welcomed by the people of the two countries and the international community."
More than one million Palestinians residing in northern Gaza were ordered by Israel to evacuate southwards with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Israel had just started to retaliate for the recent Hamas attack in southern Israel.
Additionally, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is busy holding discussions with regional governments about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, trapped Palestinians are suffering from a power blackout and shortages of food and water amidst the fierce Israeli bombing.
Hamas took approximately 150 hostages, including Israelis, foreigners, and those with dual nationality, during the initial attack.
More than one million residents of northern Gaza on Friday received 24 hours' notice from Israel to flee south before an expected ground offensive. Hamas vowed to fight to the last drop of blood and urged residents to stay.
Additionally, while tens of thousands of Palestinians were estimated to have headed south from northern Gaza following the Israeli order, according to the United Nations (UN), more than 400,000 Palestinians had been internally displaced due to hostilities prior to the directive.
Israel has indicated that it will be carrying out additional airstrikes on Gaza after conducting hefty ones. Additionally, it is maintaining its tight grip on the region even while a humanitarian crisis develops, CNN reported.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) say they have conducted raids in Gazan territory to eliminate Hamas from the region.
According to BBC, the IDF also say soldiers collected evidence that will aid in locating hostages.
They posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the Israeli Air Force continued striking Hamas fighters targets and anti-tank missile launchers in Gaza immediately after they were used to attack Israel.
The air force said the IDF had carried out local raids in the Gaza Strip to complete the effort to cleanse the area of Hamas and its weapons and try to "locate missing persons".
Meanwhile, Israel has amassed more than 300,000 reservists along the Gaza border for a potential full ground operation.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has been allegedly "targeting and killing of medical and ambulance personnel during their humanitarian missions to evacuate the victims of aggression," CNN reported.
After a solidarity visit to Tel Aviv, Blinken, on a six-nation tour of Arab countries, again defended Israel's right to respond but also hardened his tone on protecting innocent Palestinians.
"We have urged the Israelis to use every possible precaution to avoid harm to civilians," Blinken told a news conference in Qatar.
"We recognise many Palestinian families in Gaza are suffering through no fault of their own and that Palestinian civilians have lost their lives," he said, maintaining that Israel was within its rights after the "unconscionable" attacks by Hamas.
Blinken praised Qatar, which has longstanding relations with Hamas, for showing "urgency" in efforts to persuade the Hamas fighters to free an estimated 150 hostages, but he also warned about the close US partner's strong ties with Hamas, which has an office in Doha, the Qatari capital where Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh largely resides.
"There can be no more business as usual with Hamas — murdering babies, burning families to death, taking little children as hostages," Blinken said.
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani however defended the Hamas office, saying it served the purpose of communication, AFP reported.
A US official said Israel agreed with Blinken in the talks in Tel Aviv on "the need to establish some safe areas where civilians could relocate, be safe from Israel's legitimate security operations".
"The Israelis are committed to it," the US official told reporters on condition of anonymity on Blinken's plane.
However, US officials also appeared to backtrack on earlier efforts to let Gazans flee to neighbouring Egypt, saying they did not see wide support and instead wanted the safe areas within Gaza.
The US is working with both Egypt and Israel to let Americans and other foreign nationals leave through the Rafah border crossing, the US official said.
The Jordanian king, a longtime US partner, called for "humanitarian corridors" to bring relief into Gaza and de-escalate the situation, a statement from the royal court said.
Abdullah, whose kingdom is home to two million Palestinian refugees, warned against another permanent displacement, this time from Gaza.
"The crisis should not be spread to neighbouring countries and exacerbate the refugee issue," the king told Blinken.
After Qatar, the top US diplomat made a stop in Bahrain, meeting with Prime Minister and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa. He is also visiting Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt on his tour.
Saudi Arabia in the weeks before the attacks had spoken of progress in US-led diplomacy to normalise relations with Israel — a landmark step for the conservative kingdom that is guardian of Islam's two holiest sites.
Few expect the momentum to be maintained, with the Saudis joining Qatar in blaming Israeli policies towards the Palestinians for the flare-up in violence.
Blinken also promised to work with the Palestinian Authority and praised Abbas for efforts to maintain calm in the West Bank over the past week.
Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority enjoys small levels of autonomy in the West Bank, is a sworn foe of Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Netanyahu has long sought to sideline the Palestinian Authority and Abbas, saying he is insufficiently committed to stopping violence, with the hard-right Israeli government rejecting the prospect of a two-state solution.
— With additional input from AFP
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