Gaza on edge, 600,000 flee as Israeli troops prepare ground assault
- Israel is preparing a ground attack of the Gaza Strip in response to Hamas’ deadly attack on October 7
- More than 600,000 Gazans from Gaza City and its surroundings have relocated southward, Israel’s army said
Gaza was on edge on Sunday evening as Israel’s expected ground offensive was delayed to allow more civilians in Gaza to move south to avoid the incursion by the Israeli military.
Residents of the densely populated coastal strip had been given more time to move, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said.
Israeli army spokesman Arye Sharuz Shalicar rejected claims that adverse weather was the reason for the delay in comments to German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday evening.
According to an unconfirmed media report, the ground offensive had been planned for this weekend, but was postponed due to cloudy skies and poor visibility for pilots and drones.
There were reports that Hamas was preventing civilians from fleeing. Israel has repeatedly accused the Islamist organisation of using its own population as human shields.
Israel’s repeated instructions to Gazans to leave the area have been widely criticised, including by the UN which has warned of the danger of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.