"More than 423,000 local residents of Gaza had already left their homes even before Israel ordered the evacuation from the north of Gaza to the southern part within 24 hours," the United Nations reported, as per The Times of Israel.
The publication noted that the Israel Defense Forces informed the UN at midnight on Friday that all Palestinian populations north of Gaza must relocate to the southern region within 24 hours.
The message indicated that the IDF could be prepared to commence a ground invasion following a week of aerial bombardment in response to the mass pressure from Hamas.