Israel’s military has issued an evacuation order for around 1 million Palestinians in the northern part of Gaza to move to the southern part of the territory, AP News reports.
However, Hamas, which launched a surprise attack on Israel last weekend, dismissed the order as a ploy and called on people to stay in their homes.
The UN expressed concern that such a mass evacuation with a 24-hour deadline would have devastating humanitarian consequences.
The evacuation order caused widespread panic among civilians already dealing with Israeli airstrikes, a total siege, and a territory-wide blackout.
