Palestinians are facing a race to escape to safety as Israel’s deadline for them to leave the combat zone passes.
Familes in cars, carts and on foot have been fleeing after warnings that they would be in the firing line in any Israel full scale onslaught on the ground into Gaza.
Hamas has claimed 70 people have been killed in a fleeing convoy already and have been urging citizens to remain in their homes.
Civilians were given until 2pm (UK time) to move although with hundreds of thousands expected to heed the advice as up to 300,000 Israeli soldiers have massed on the border.
Meanwhile, the Hamas commander, Ali Qadhi, who led the cross-border attack on Israeli settlements that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians has been killed by a drone strike, Israel’s air force said.
The IDF has said that over 120 civilians are still being held captive in the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants.
It is thought that the airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 2,215 people and displaced a further 330,000, the Palestinian Health Authority has said - in Israel, an estimated 1,300 people have died. The Palestinian health authority has reported that 53 people have now died in the West Bank since last Saturday.
