Israeli forces are in the process of cutting off Gaza City from the south and dividing the Gaza Strip in half. The number of people still trapped in Gaza’s largest urban center is not known; estimates range as high as a half-million, even as Israeli forces have demolished dozens of high-rise buildings. Al Jazeera reported today that the Israeli military has been ordering people to leave, then chasing them on the coastal route south with military choppers, drones, and tanks, creating “mayhem and panic.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Oct. 1 that the IDF was close to encircling Gaza City and that residents had a “last opportunity” to flee but will need to go through Israeli checkpoints, reported the Times of Israel.
