Palestinians flee their homes towards southern Gaza

The war raging since Saturday's attack on Israel by Hamas entered a seventh day Friday. Palestinians fled in a mass exodus from northern Gaza after Israel's military told some 1 million people to evacuate toward the southern part of the besieged Gaza Strip. The evacuation order affects about half of the population in the territory. All of Gaza's border crossings are currently closed, leaving civilians largely trapped inside. Within hours of the order, many Palestinians had begun to evacuate to the south of Gaza — some making the exit from Gaza City on foot.

The evacuation order has drawn outcry from humanitarian groups. The United Nations said it would be "impossible" to move so many people without "devastating humanitarian consequences."