Half a million Israelis evacuated since Hamas attack: IDF

JERUSALEM: About half a million Israelis have been evacuated since Hamas launched its brutal attack on the country on October 7, the military said on Tuesday.

"All the communities around the Gaza Strip have been evacuated as per government directives. We don't want civilians near the combat zone," the BBC quoted Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus as saying in an online briefing.

The 500,000 displaced Israelis also include communities around the country's northern border with Lebanon, as tensions with another militant group, Hezbollah, rise.

Meanwhile, more than one million people have been displaced inside Gaza.

"We are talking about a significant humanitarian situation in Israel," Conricus said, while also acknowledging that "the situation in Gaza is worse, and wouldn't want to swap tables for even a second".

He also informed that 600,000 Palestinians have made "the smart and self-preservatory" decision to move south, after a warning by Israel to do so ahead of its expected ground offensive, reports the BBC.

There are still "100,000 that need to - and should - go", the spokesman added.

Conricus claims Hamas, which told people to stay put, had a "delaying effect" on people leaving the region, but he is confident that the more time goes on, the more the militant group will stop using "its own civilians as human shields".

The official went on to say that Israel saying "operations continue in the south" and is “targeting Hamas leaders and their infrastructure”.

The IDF is continuing to “actively search for where Hamas leaders are hiding”, Conricus noted.

Regarding US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel on Wednesday, Conricus told CNN that the high-stakes trip will not complicate or delay potential Gaza ground incursion.

The spokesman said he believes that Biden supports Israel's campaign to defeat Hamas.

“I think the President also said that ‘Hamas needs to be destroyed,’ and that is exactly our military aim," he added.