The Israel Defense Forces, who has yet to confirm plans for a ground offensive, only says the evacuation should be carried out as soon as possible. Israeli military has amassed troops at the border with Gaza over the course of the week and cites its main objective remains stripping away the military capabilities of Hamas. Human rights agencies have decried the evacuation, which threatens to compound the existing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Gaza Strip remains under total siege after Israel cut off supplies of food, fuel, water and electricity to the area following a bloody multipronged Hamas attack over the weekend. The death toll since the offensive and Israel’s retaliatory strikes has continued to mount.
