Wall Street Journal: Thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in northern Gaza for United Nations shelters after Israel warned them with leaflets and phone calls to evacuate ahead of an intensified offensive, the U.N. said.
Ignoring calls from the territory’s Hamas rulers to stay, columns of cars, donkey carts and scooters loaded with luggage packed escape routes from the town of Beit Lahiya on Sunday. Residents said that after hearing a fierce gunbattle in the early morning between militants and Israeli commandos, they decided to take the Israeli warnings seriously.
The U.N.’s refugee agency, UNRWA, said about 17,000 Palestinians had reached shelters, and called on both sides to respect the “inviolability” of the centers. Not all those who fled went to shelters, however, with some joining families elsewhere. Full report here.
