The three-hour deadline set by the Israeli military for a safe corridor in northern Gaza to allow residents to go to the "safer" southern part of the seaside territory ended at 3.30 pm. The Israeli forces are now waiting for the political leadership to take a call on the all-out ground offensive, though the forces have been conducting localised raids on Gaza strip.
In a post on X, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) earlier said they will not launch any operation on this corridor from 10 am to 1 pm.
"Residents of Gaza City and northern Gaza, in the past days, we've urged you to relocate to the southern area for your safety. We want to inform you that the IDF will not carry out any operations along this route from 10 pm to 1 pm," the Israeli military said.
"During this window, please take the opportunity to move southward from northern Gaza," it said.
The IDF said the safety of Gaza residents and that of their families matters.
"Please follow our instructions and head southward. Be assured, Hamas leaders have already ensured their safety and that of their families," it said.
Earlier today, the Israeli military has released photos that claim to show the Hamas group stopping people from going to southern Gaza. The Hamas group has been accused of using human shields.
Hamas is deliberately keeping hostages in places where it knows Israel would carry out bombings, the country's former national security adviser told NDTV yesterday. The comment by Eyal Hulata was in response to a statement by Hamas that nine more Israeli hostages have been killed in Gaza in Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli forces have been readying for a looming Gaza ground invasion aimed at destroying Hamas, the Palestinian group that unleashed the bloodiest attack in the country's history.
In the eight days since Hamas gunmen killed more than 1,300 Israelis in a terror attack, Israel has responded with a devastating bombing campaign that has claimed over 2,300 lives in Gaza.
Entire Gaza city blocks lie in ruins and hospitals are overflowing with thousands of wounded in the besieged territory, but there were fears of worse to come.
With inputs from AFP
