Turkey has strongly rejected the Israeli occupation's attempt to displace more than a million residents of the Gaza Strip, while the United Nations condemned the plan as "appalling." On the other hand, the White House confirmed its understanding of the Israeli request, although it is difficult to implement.
Turkey's foreign ministry said Israel's demand for Gaza residents to move south within 24 hours of a planned ground operation was "totally unacceptable", inhumane and in violation of international law.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that forcing Gaza's 2.5 million residents, who have been indiscriminately bombed for days and deprived of electricity, water and food supplies, to flee in a very limited area is a clear violation of international law and has nothing to do with humanity.
"We expect Israel to immediately reverse this grave mistake and urgently cease its atrocities against civilians in Gaza."
Norwegian Foreign Minister Aniken Hoytveldt on Friday condemned the tight siege imposed by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip and the attempt to displace its population.
Huitefeldt told local broadcaster NRK: "Israel has the right to defend itself but cannot use all means to do so."
When Israel blocks Gaza and then asks so many people to leave Gaza without food or medicine, we must condemn that.
The secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council told Al Jazeera that Israel was obligated to cease hostilities and open corridors for aid to enter.
UN condemnation
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement that the organization strongly appealed for the rescission of any deportation order for residents of the northern Gaza Strip to avoid a catastrophic situation.
"The United Nations considers it impossible to implement such an order without devastating humanitarian consequences," Dujarric said.
The Israeli warning also applied to all United Nations staff and those residing in Organization facilities, including schools, health centres and clinics.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) described Israel's request to relocate more than a million civilians from northern Gaza within 24 hours as "appalling."
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement that "the Israeli demand will only lead to unprecedented levels of misery and push the people of Gaza further into the abyss."
Lazzarini added that more than 423,270 people have already been displaced, and more than <>,<> have sought refuge in UNRWA shelters, stressing that "the scale and speed of the unfolding humanitarian crisis is chilling, as Gaza is fast turning into a pit of hell and on the brink of collapse."
American understanding
In Washington, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Israel's call for more than a million civilians to move in the northern Gaza Strip within 24 hours would be "difficult."
Kirby said in televised remarks that "this means that a large number of individuals move in a very short period of time."
"We understand what they are trying to do and why they are trying to do it, it is an attempt to isolate the civilian population from Hamas, which is their real target," he said.
Kirby said U.S. officials were working with Israel and Egypt to provide safe passage for civilians living in Gaza, home to 2.3 million people in one of the most densely populated places on earth.
"Certainly, we don't want to see any civilian injured, and we support allowing a safe exit from Gaza, and that certainly includes the ability of people to move safely inside Gaza," he later told CNN.
Israeli threats
Earlier on Friday, the United Nations said the Israeli army had informed it that 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza should move to the southern part of the Strip within 24 hours, while the authorities said the announcement was part of psychological warfare to cause confusion among citizens.
The Israeli military said residents of Gaza City were required to evacuate their homes and head south, saying it would "continue operations significantly" in the city, which it described as a "zone of military operations."
The army said in a statement this morning that residents would only be able to return to Gaza City when another announcement was made allowing it.
The IDF also warned residents of the Gaza Strip not to approach the area of the separation fence with Israel.
Salameh Maarouf, head of the government media office in the Gaza Strip, said the warning was an attempt by Israel "to broadcast and pass some false propaganda news in various ways with the aim of causing confusion among citizens and undermining the cohesion of our internal front."
Maarouf said in a statement that among these attempts is the request from some workers in international institutions in the Gaza Strip to go to the southern Gaza Strip.
"We stress on our citizens not to deal with these attempts, which are part of psychological warfare, knowing that the crews of these institutions are still in place," he said.
The development comes as the Israeli army continues to launch heavy raids on the Gaza Strip in parallel with the build-up of forces in preparation for a possible ground offensive following the Al-Aqsa flood operation launched by the Palestinian resistance last Saturday.
The Israeli military said on Thursday it was preparing for a ground operation, but made clear a political decision had not yet been made.
Tel Aviv has called up 300,<> reservists and sent large troops to the Gaza envelope.
On the other hand, the Palestinian resistance confirmed that it had prepared a defensive plan to confront a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip.