The purpose of the ground operations is said to have been, among other things, to locate those kidnapped during the Hamas terrorist attack last week, according to the Israeli military (IDF).
Fighting reportedly broke out during the raids, according to the IDF.
At the same time, the Israeli airstrikes against Gaza have continued. About 1,900 people have been killed, health officials in Gaza said on Friday.
Israel has warned of continued attacks, without explicitly mentioning a ground invasion.
Evacuation order
The roughly 1.1 million residents living in the northern parts of Gaza were told by the IDF to leave their homes on Friday. Tens of thousands of Gazans had fled south before nightfall, estimates the UN agency Ocha.
Before the order, 400,000 residents of Gaza had already been forced to leave their homes because of the attacks, according to the UN.
Labeled as a terrorist, Hamas has dismissed the evacuation order and called on Palestinians “not to give in but face this disgusting psychological war waged by the occupying power”.
The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called on Israel to immediately withdraw the mass evacuation order, which the organizations say would have devastating consequences.
“With ongoing airstrikes and closed borders, civilians have no safe place to go,” WHO writes in a statement, adding that thousands of patients are being treated in overcrowded hospitals while thousands more injured in the area have not been given the opportunity to receive care.
“Just the Beginning”
Hamas shocked the world with its indiscriminate attack on Israel and mass killing of civilians last Saturday.
At least 1,300 people were killed in the terror attack, according to the IDF. Many were taken hostage and their fates remain unknown.
Late Friday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a televised speech with two brief messages: “Hamas must be destroyed,” Netanyahu said, and:
– This is just the beginning. We will come out of this war stronger.