Gaza faces evacuation deadline as Israel prepares ground offensive

More than 1 million Palestinians in northern Gaza faced an Israeli deadline on Saturday to flee south, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had only just begun to retaliate for last week‍‍`s Hamas rampage across southern Israel.

U.S. President Joe Biden said consultations were under way with regional governments on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as trapped Palestinians endured a power blackout and shortages of food and water amid fierce Israeli bombing.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas for the attack a week ago in which its fighters killed 1,300 Israelis, mainly civilians, and seized scores of hostages.

Israel has since put the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. Gaza authorities say 1,900 people have died.

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 told residents to stay.

Palestinians flee their houses heading toward the southern part of Gaza Strip after Israel‍‍`s call for more than 1 million civilians in northern Gaza to move south within 24 hours, amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza City October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed Zakot

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said tank-backed troops had mounted raids to hit Palestinian rocket crews and gather information on the location of hostages, the first official account of ground troops in Gaza since the crisis began.

"We are striking our enemies with unprecedented might," Netanyahu said in a rare statement televised on Friday after the Jewish Sabbath began. "I emphasize  that this is only the beginning."

Tens of thousands of Palestinians were estimated to have headed south from northern Gaza following the Israeli order, according to the United Nations, which said more than 400,000 Palestinians had been internally displaced due to hostilities prior to the directive.

An Israeli tank takes up position near Israel‍‍`s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

The United Nations and other organisations warned of a disaster if so many people were forced to flee, and said the siege should be lifted to let in aid.

"We need immediate humanitarian access throughout Gaza, so that we can get fuel, food and water to everyone in need. Even wars have rules," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.

Biden, in a speech at a Philadelphia shipping terminal, said addressing the humanitarian crisis was a top priority.

U.S. teams in the region, he said, were working with Israel, Egypt, Jordan, other Arab governments and the United Nations.