<\/p>\n
Israel pressed on Sunday with preparations for a ground offensive in Gaza, after giving Palestinians a little more time<\/a> to flee northern areas it has vowed to target in response to the deadliest attack in its history<\/a>.<\/p>\n The surprise attack by Hamas killed more than 1,300 people in the attack that Israel has compared to 9\/11 in the United States, sparking a massive retaliatory bombing campaign targeting the group that has killed over 2,200 in Gaza.<\/p>\n Israel has warned around 1.1 million Gazans living in the north of the Palestinian territory to flee to the south ahead of a ground incursion which the military has indicated will focus on Gaza City, the base of the leadership of the Hamas group.<\/p>\n The military said Gaza City residents must not delay their departure but a spokesperson said late on Saturday they still had time to leave ahead of the ground offensive.<\/p>\n According to the United Nations, Israel\u2019s evacuation order has triggered a \u201cmass displacement\u201d towards the south of the Palestinian enclave.<\/p>\n \u201cMass displacement from the north to the south of the Gaza Strip has been ongoing since\u2026 Friday morning, after Israel ordered residents to evacuate the areas ahead of military operations,\u201d the UN\u2019s humanitarian agency OCHA said in an update.<\/p>\n \u201cHumanitarian partners report that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) has risen significantly over the last 24 hours; however the exact number is unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n Beforehand, as of 11:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Thursday, there were 423,378 IDPs in Gaza, OCHA said.<\/p>\n Around 64 per cent were being hosted by UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, in 102 premises operated as designated emergency shelters.<\/p>\n \u201cSome 33,054 IDPs had taken refuge at 36 public schools,\u201d said OCHA.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is estimated that over 153,000 IDPs, whose homes have been destroyed or damaged, or have left their homes due to fear, are residing with relatives and neighbours, as well as in other public facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Friday thousands of Gazans, who cannot leave the enclave as it is blockaded by both Israel and Egypt, have packed what belongings they can into bags and suitcases, to trudge through the rubble-strewn streets.<\/p>\n A stream of cars, trucks, three-wheeled vehicles and donkey-drawn carts joined the frantic mass movement south, all loaded with families and their belongings, mattresses, bedding and bags strapped onto the roofs of packed vehicles.<\/p>\n Israel pummelled northern Gaza with fresh air strikes on Saturday. AFP<\/em> reporters near the southern Israeli city of Sderot saw troops fire at the densely populated enclave, sending huge plumes of black smoke into the sky.<\/p>\n The Israeli military said on Saturday the bodies of some of the dozens of hostages abducted by Hamas in its attacks had been found during operations inside Gaza.<\/p>\n Hamas earlier reported 22 hostages had been killed in Israeli bombardments. \u201cAre you ready for what is coming? More is coming,\u201d he was heard telling several soldiers on a video released by his office.<\/p>\n To avert the risk of the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalating into a regional conflict, the United States deployed a second aircraft carrier that would \u201cdeter hostile actions against Israel\u201d, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said.<\/p>\n Alarm has grown over the fate of Palestinian civilians in blockaded and besieged Gaza \u2014 one of the world\u2019s most densely populated areas, home to 2.4 million \u2014 if it becomes the scene of intense urban combat and house-to-house fighting.<\/p>\n Aid agencies have said forcing Gazans to move is impossible while the conflict rages.<\/p>\n But with food, water, fuel and medical supplies running low because of an Israeli blockade, aid agencies are warning of a deepening humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation is catastrophic,\u201d said Jumaa Nasser, who travelled from Beit Lahia in northern Gaza with his wife, mother and seven children.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had no food or sleep. We don\u2019t know what to do. I\u2019ve given my fate up to God,\u201d he told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday that forcing thousands of hospital patients to evacuate to already overflowing hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip could be \u201ctantamount to a death sentence\u201d.<\/p>\n Exiled Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh accused Israel on Saturday of committing \u201cwar crimes\u201d in Gaza but he ruled out any \u201cdisplacement\u201d of Gazans, including to Egypt.<\/p>\n Hamas is regularly accused by Israel of using civilians as human shields.<\/p>\n On the diplomatic front, Chinese envoy Zhai Jun will visit the Middle East next week to push for a ceasefire and promote peace talks, state broadcaster CCTV<\/em> reported on Sunday.<\/p>\n Saudi Arabia has also pressed for an \u201cimmediate ceasefire\u201d. Russia said it had asked the UN Security Council to vote on Monday on its ceasefire resolution.<\/p>\n Iran has warned in a social media post that if Israel\u2019s \u201cwar crimes and genocide\u201d are not stopped then the situation could spiral out of control with \u201cfar-reaching consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n The post on X by Iran\u2019s mission to the United Nations came after Axios reported Tehran warned Israel \u2014 in a message sent via the UN \u2014 that it would have to respond if Israel carries out a ground offensive in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the Israeli apartheid\u2019s war crimes & genocide are not halted immediately, the situation could spiral out of control & ricochet far-reaching consequences \u2014 the responsibility of which lies with the UN, the Security Council & the states steering the Council toward a dead end,\u201d Iran\u2019s UN mission posted.<\/p>\n The United States has been working to keep Iran out of the ongoing war and broader international diplomacy has been focused on preventing it from spilling over \u2014 particularly into Lebanon \u2014 and sparking a regional war.<\/p>\n Lebanon\u2019s Iran-backed, heavily armed Hezbollah group has clashed with Israel across the Lebanese border multiple times in the past week in the deadliest confrontations since they fought a month-long war in 2006.<\/p>\n UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland met with Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut on Saturday, the United Nations said.<\/p>\n Abdollahian then met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar, Al Jazeera TV<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n When asked about the Axios report, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: \u201cAll of (Wennesland\u2019s) meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages, secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes his recent meetings in Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n Israel\u2019s mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the Axios report or the social media post by Iran.<\/p>\n US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for pressure on Hamas during a meeting today with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, which has warming ties with Israel but has put normalisation on hold<\/a>.<\/p>\n The top US diplomat met for nearly an hour in the early morning with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the royal\u2019s farm residence in the Riyadh area, a US official said.<\/p>\n \u201cVery productive,\u201d Blinken said when asked about the meeting after returning to his hotel.<\/p>\n Blinken \u201chighlighted the United States\u2019 unwavering focus on halting terrorist attacks by Hamas, securing the release of all hostages and preventing the conflict from spreading,\u201d State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe two affirmed their shared commitment to protecting civilians and to advancing stability across the Middle East and beyond,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n Blinken has been touring the region after Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel from the blockaded Gaza Strip on October 7. The attack sparked a massive retaliatory campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 2,300 people.<\/p>\n Before the violence, the Saudi crown prince had spoken of progress in US-led diplomacy to normalise relations<\/a> between Saudi Arabia and Israel.<\/p>\n \u2018More is coming\u2019<\/h2>\n
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wearing a flak jacket, earlier visited troops on the border front line, raising expectations of an imminent invasion.<\/p>\nHumanitarian crisis<\/h2>\n
Iran warns of \u2018far-reaching consequences\u2019 if Israel not stopped<\/h2>\n
Blinken raises Hamas with Saudi crown prince on Mideast crisis tour<\/h2>\n