On Saturday, the Israeli military issued a statement urging residents of Gaza City not to postpone their departure as a military offensive loomed. Roads leading south out of the northern part of the territory were once again congested with people trying to leave.
In anticipation of an impending Israeli ground offensive against Hamas, which had launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, Israel had established two secure routes for over one million residents in northern Gaza to make their way to the southern region of the besieged area.
Military spokesperson Richard Hecht specified that there was a designated timeframe, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (1300 GMT), during which safe passages were available. These routes followed the Gaza coastline and traversed the center of the relatively narrow Palestinian territory, which stretches approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) in length.
Once again, thousands of Gazans filled buses, cars, and even donkey carts on Saturday to evacuate the northern zone. While it wasn’t specified how long this evacuation window would remain open, Hecht urged people not to delay.
Israel had been under pressure from international bodies, including the United Nations, United States, and European Union, to delay a full-scale offensive to allow civilians more time to leave.
The Israeli military had indicated that its operations would focus on Gaza City, as it was considered the hub for the Hamas leadership, which Israel held responsible for the attacks the previous week, resulting in a death toll of at least 1,300 in Israel.
Meanwhile, Gaza authorities reported that at least 2,215 people had lost their lives in Israeli retaliatory strikes against Gaza targets over the past seven days.