Israel's six-hour Gaza evacuation order has ended. Recently, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that Palestinians should move toward the Gaza Valley.
Reports stated that IDF released the advisory a day after it ordered over 1 million residents in northern Gaza to leave their homes.
However, it is unclear how many Palestinians received the message since Gaza currently has no electricity or internet. Now that the evacuation order's period ended, what will happen in Gaza next?
Israel's Six-Hour Gaza Evacuation Order Is Over-What Happens Next?
According to CNN World's latest report, IDF's Arabic spokesperson Avishay Adraee explained that the evacuation order will allow Palestinians to safely move on specified streets between 3:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. ET (10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time) on Saturday, Oct. 14.
They were advised to move southward from Beit Hanoun to Khan Yunis. Meanwhile, Gazans who are located in the AI-Shate, West Al-Zaytoun, and Al-Rimal areas were allowed to move along AI-Sana and Daldul streets so they could reach Salah Al-Din and Al-Bahr streets.
Although IDF didn't provide the exact reason for the mass evacuation, military experts claim that the order was announced as the Israeli military prepares to increase their counterattacks in retaliation against the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist strike.
"In the following days, the IDF will continue to operate significantly in Gaza City and make extensive efforts to avoid harming civilians," said IDF.
"Evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," added the Israeli military.
With these details, it is safe to assume that the IDF will conduct its attacks in Gaza since the six-hour evacuation order already ended. But, it is unclear how serious the countermeasures of IDF will be.
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Will Evacuation Order Really Reduce Civilian Casualties?
A bicycle was targeted and two young Palestinian militants were killed near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel on October 7, 2023, in Gaza City, Gaza. The Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a missile attack on Israel today, with fighters simultaneously crossing the border from Gaza. Israel has declared a state of war.
IDF claimed that the six-hour evacuation would reduce civilian casualties as they tried to eliminate Hamas terrorists hiding in Gaza.
However, since Gazans have no access to the internet and electricity, there's a high chance that many of them didn't receive the order.
Yes, the IDF did try other efforts to ensure that the order had been received, such as dropping leaflets from airplanes.
However, Time Magazine explained that the mass evacuation could still lead to higher civilian casualties since it could cause panic and fear among Palestinian civilians.
The UN already encouraged the Israeli government to withdraw its evacuation command, saying that the order could lead to devastating humanitarian consequences.
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