Israel said that 700,000 people left Gaza for the south of the exclave

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that 700,000 people out of a population of 1.1 million left Gaza for the south of the exclave.

The Times of Israel writes about it.

People are heading south amid calls from the IDF to leave the city in preparation for a ground operation and ongoing airstrikes. According to an Israeli security official, Hamas militants are still trying to prevent people from moving south.

IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said that twenty trucks of food, water and medicines were brought to the Gaza Strip today through the Egyptian Rafah checkpoint. He emphasized that fuel will not be delivered to the exclave.

Traffic through the Rafah checkpoint has already been closed. There was no information about the evacuation of foreigners through it yet. Currently, approximately 200 trucks are waiting for entry from Egypt.

Meanwhile, a summit of world leaders is being held in Cairo, dedicated to the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Arab leaders condemned Israelʼs bombing of the Gaza Strip and called for a peaceful settlement. UN Secretary General António Guterres also called for an immediate ceasefire and called for extensive humanitarian aid to Gaza.

• Israel continues to prepare for a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal wrote that the US and EU countries asked Israel to postpone a ground operation in the Gaza Strip in order to negotiate the release of people who were taken hostage by Hamas militants during the attack on Israel. The country allegedly agreed to wait under pressure.
• According to the IDF, at least 210 people are being held captive by Hamas. On October 20, Hamas released the first two hostages — a mother and daughter, US citizens.
• As of October 21, 4,385 people have been killed and at least 13,560 wounded in the Gaza Strip. These are data from the Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas. The Israeli side claims 1,400 dead of its citizens.