Israel gives Palestinians until 2pm to get out: Families flee by car and donkey cart as IDF kills two top Hamas commanders and new airstrikes pummel Gaza where death toll now tops 2,200
DAILY MAIL
Israel today gave Palestinians until 2pm to evacuate the north of the Gaza Strip, with families fleeing by car and donkey cart, as the death toll from airstrikes topped 2,200.
The IDF had allowed 1.1million civilians just 24 hours to escape to the south of the territory, a deadline that ended today at 3am BST. It said today that Gazans could flee safely via two main roads between 10am and 4pm local time (8AM – 2pm BST).
Hamas has urged civilians to ignore the evacuation order and some are refusing to leave, with Mahmoud Shalabi – director of Medical Aid for Palestinians – saying ‘no place was safe in Gaza’ and he hoped to ‘die with dignity’.
Tanks and elite commandos have already began conducting ‘localised’ raids into Gaza to target Hamas terrorists and weaponry while tanks are massing on the border before a major ground offensive.
Israel today confirmed it had killed two top Hamas commanders. Murad Abu Murad, the head of the terror group’s aerial operations, was killed over the past day when fighter jets struck an operational centre.
It later announced the death of Ali Qadi, who led forces who gunned down civilians during terrorist strikes on Israeli settlements last Saturday. He was killed in a drone strike after being located by military intelligence.
Palestinian families have been fleeing with their possessions in heavily laden cars, trucks and donkey carts via a crowded a main road heading southward from Gaza City. Hamas claims 70 people were killed when airstrikes struck a convoy of cars.
The UN agency overseeing relief efforts warned today that ‘more than 2million people are at risk as water runs out’ in Gaza, with Philippe Lazzarini, a senior official, warning: ‘It has become a matter of life and death. It is a must.’
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the country would ‘never forget’ last Saturday’s terrorist attacks by Hamas and warned ‘this is just the beginning’.
At least 2,215 people have been killed by airstrikes on Gaza so far, with another 8,714 wounded.
Today, the IDF said a drone had killed several militants who tried to infiltrate Israel from Lebanon. Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in…
