GAZA – Israel’s military on Friday called for all civilians in the northern half of the Gaza Strip to relocate south within 24 hours.

The military is amassing tanks nearby ahead of an expected ground invasion in response to an Oct 7 attack by the militant group Hamas.

Hamas, which controls the strip, told residents to stay put, and vowed to fight to the last drop of blood.

By Friday afternoon, there was no sign of any mass exodus as Israel prepared its onslaught.

“Death is better than leaving,” said Mr Mohammad, 20, standing in the street outside a building reduced to rubble in an Israeli air strike two days ago near the centre of Gaza. “I was born here, and I will die here. Leaving is a stigma.”

The United Nations said evacuating everyone was impossible, with power supplies cut and food and water in the Palestinian enclave running short after a week of retaliatory air strikes and a full Israeli blockade.

The US called the Israeli deadline a “tall order”.

The northern half of the Gaza Strip includes the enclave’s biggest settlement, Gaza City.

The UN said it had been told that Israel wanted the entire population to move across the wetlands that bisect the enclave.

“Civilians of Gaza City, 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,” the Israeli military said, accusing Hamas of hiding in and under civilian buildings.

Mr Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, which is a rival of Hamas, told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jordan that the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza would constitute a repeat of 1948. That was when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven from what is now Israel. Most Gazans are the descendants of such refugees. Mr Abbas called for aid to be allowed into Gaza immediately.

Israel has said it will not lift its blockade until scores of hostages captured by Hamas are set free.

The Red Cross has said hospitals could soon run out of emergency fuel. International talks focused on providing aid and safe zones in Gaza, amid fears the conflict could spread.

Iran has warned of a response from its allies, which include Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held around the world.

In some places, Jewish communities feared that they could be targeted.

The Israeli military pledged to operate “significantly” in the coming days, a day after Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said “now is a time for war”.

“We are fighting for our home. We are fighting for our future,” Mr Gallant said. “The path will be long, but ultimately I promise you we will win.”

The Oct 7 attacks by Hamas militants killed more than 1,300 Israelis, and about 1,800 Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s military response, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Israel says the horrific attack on its civilians means it must annihilate the militant group, and others must get out of the way.

Hamas tunnels, military compounds, senior operatives’ residences and weapons storage warehouses were among 750 military targets struck overnight, it said.

The military wing of Hamas said the latest air strikes killed 13 among the scores of people it captured from Israel, and that it had fired 150 rockets at Israel in response.

The UN said Israel’s call for Gaza civilians to leave could not happen “without devastating humanitarian consequences”.

Its comments prompted a rebuke from Israel, which said it should condemn Hamas and support Israel’s right to self-defence.

A ground invasion of the narrow and densely populated Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million people, poses serious risk, with Hamas threatening to kill its hostages.

Hours after the Israeli evacuation call, there were no signs people were leaving Gaza City, where dozens gathered at the al-Shifa Hospital, vowing to stay put.

Palestinians in the southern and central areas of the enclave, where people were expected to flee to, said air strikes had hit there overnight, with central parts also hit on Friday morning.

“No place is safe in the entire Gaza Strip,” the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

The UN humanitarian office said more than 400,000 people have fled their homes in Gaza.

“Mass displacement continues,” it said.

The UN Palestinian refugee agency said it has moved its central operations centre and international staff to Gaza’s south, and urged Israel to spare its shelters.

‘Riddled with bullets’

Seeking to build support for its response, Israel’s government showed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Nato defence ministers graphic images of those killed.

“It’s simply depravity in the worst imaginable way,” Mr Blinken said, joining others in urging Israel to show restraint while also reiterating the US’ support. “We will always be there by your side.”

On Friday, he met Jordan’s King Abdullah as well as Mr Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007.

Mr Blinken is also set to visit Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates – some of these countries have influence on Hamas, which is backed by Iran.

The US military is placing no conditions on its security assistance to Israel, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

“The USS Gerald R. Ford strike group is now in the region, led by the largest aircraft carrier in the world. We’ve augmented US fighter aircraft squadrons in the Middle East and... stand fully ready to deploy additional assets if necessary,” Mr Austin told reporters in Tel Aviv.

Mr Austin, who spoke alongside his Israeli counterpart, Mr Gallant, cautioned that it was a time for “resolve” and not “revenge”.

Elsewhere, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met the head of the powerful Hezbollah movement, Mr Hassan Nasrallah, in Lebanon, where there have been cross-border clashes with Israel since the weekend, Lebanese media outlets reported.

“The continuation of war crimes against Palestine and Gaza will receive a response from the rest of the axis,” the Iranian Foreign Minister said.

The Lebanese militant group said it is prepared to act against Israel.

“We are fully prepared – when the time comes – for any action that we will carry out,” Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qasem, said, according to the group’s Al Manar TV station.

Jordan’s King Abdullah warned Israel against any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians, even internally. In a statement published on the Royal Court’s account on social media platform X, he said there should be no “spillover” of the ongoing crisis into neighbouring countries.

The Foreign Minister of Turkey, which has offered to mediate, held a call with his counterpart from the UAE, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said.

Turkey urged citizens in Lebanon to avoid the country’s south because of fighting between Israeli and Palestinian forces there.

Safety concerns prompt security measures

The US and Japan were among countries offering charter flights to their citizens wanting to leave Israel.

Elsewhere, the police in Paris used tear gas and a water cannon to break up a banned rally in support of the Palestinians.

Some Jewish schools in Amsterdam and London were set to close temporarily due to safety concerns.

The police in New York and Los Angeles stepped up their presence around synagogues and Jewish community centres.

The Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, an Arab advocacy group, said on Thursday that FBI agents had visited mosques and US residents with Palestinian roots, calling it a “troubling trend”.

Mr Abbas and the Palestinian Authority say they oppose killing civilians but have stopped short of directly condemning the Hamas attacks. They blamed the escalation on Israel having strengthened extremists by ignoring Palestinian grievances.

Gazans have suffered economic collapse and repeated Israeli bombardment under a blockade since Hamas seized power there 16 years ago.

A peace process meant to create a Palestinian state collapsed a decade ago.

Israel’s right-wing government has cracked down in the West Bank, and talked of seizing more land.

Israel says it has had no reliable partner for negotiations. REUTERS