Israel army leaflet warns Gaza residents to leave homes
Step comes after Hamas’s top military commander warned against a ground operation.
GAZA CITY:
Israel's air force dropped leaflets across Gaza City on Tuesday urging people to evacuate their homes "immediately" amid fears the military was poised to launch a ground operation.
"For your own safety, you are required to immediately evacuate your homes and move toward Gaza City centre," the Arabic-language leaflet said, specifying certain roads that should be used.
The step comes after Hamas’s top military commander warned that Israel will “pay a heavy price” if it launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The rare audio message was aired today.
“The enemy will pay a heavy price if it thinks of entering Gaza,” Mohammed Deif said in the audio message carried by Hamas television station al Aqsa.
Earlier, senior Israeli ministers decided overnight to hold off from launching a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to give Egyptian-led truce efforts a chance to work, a senior Israeli official said.
“A decision was taken that for the time being there is a temporary hold on the ground incursion to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” he told AFP.
Pakistan condemns
Israel's air force dropped leaflets across Gaza City on Tuesday urging people to evacuate their homes "immediately" amid fears the military was poised to launch a ground operation.
"For your own safety, you are required to immediately evacuate your homes and move toward Gaza City centre," the Arabic-language leaflet said, specifying certain roads that should be used.
The step comes after Hamas’s top military commander warned that Israel will “pay a heavy price” if it launches a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
The rare audio message was aired today.
“The enemy will pay a heavy price if it thinks of entering Gaza,” Mohammed Deif said in the audio message carried by Hamas television station al Aqsa.
Earlier, senior Israeli ministers decided overnight to hold off from launching a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip to give Egyptian-led truce efforts a chance to work, a senior Israeli official said.
“A decision was taken that for the time being there is a temporary hold on the ground incursion to give diplomacy a chance to succeed,” he told AFP.
Pakistan condemns