A perilous journey for countless Palestinians trying to flee danger in northern Gaza
Intensified fighting has put pressure on civilians to move south
Day after day, thousands more people in northern Gaza are scrambling to get to a place of greater safetyas intense fighting rages there between Israel and Hamas.
These civilians are streaming out of the northern part of the territory, making the journey south whatever way they can many on foot, travelling with family in tow.
Akram Al Sabbaghdescribed undertaking a "very dangerous" hours-longwalk to get to the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
The 73-year-old Canadiantravelled to Gaza in September to visit his brother. He's already had to relocate several times as a result of the outbreak of the war.
There are clear dangers for peoplestaying put in northern Gaza, but they also face risks in travelling south not only during the journey itself, but also in finding shelter and staying out of harm's wayonce they get to their destination.
Adding to that, the greater the number of people whohead south, the more acute the pressure is on authorities and aid agencies to provide enough food, water and other necessitiesfor the growing number ofcivilians gathering there.
Ongoing danger
Conflict erupted in Gaza inthe wake of a surprise cross-border attack Hamas launched across parts of southern Israel nearly five weeks ago.
In response, Israel declared war and has unleashed a campaign involving airstrikes and aground offensive, with thegoal ofdismantling the Islamist militant groupand its infrastructure.
The resulting death toll hasbeen immense, with thousands of civilians killed and at least two-thirds of Gaza's 2.3 million people internally displaced within the besieged enclave.
As of Friday, officials from the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza say more than 11,000 people have died in the territory since Oct. 7. In Israel, the Foreign Affairs Ministry revised the government'sfigure that some 1,400 people had been killed Canadians among them and now says the number stands at about 1,200. As well, some 240 people were taken hostage after the initial Hamas attack.
With Israeli forces pushing further into Gaza, the fighting does not seem likely to halt any time soon.
Daniel Byman, a seniorfellow at the Washington-basedCenter for Strategic and International Studies, told CBC News Network thatHamas is "scattered" acrossthe territorybut "has a lot offighters in the north" including theGaza City area, according to reports.
"Israel expects that the fighting back will get more fierce as its forces move forward," Bymansaid.
Daily pauses
On Friday, Israel said it had granteda six-hour window of time, which would allow civilians to escape northern Gaza along Salah al-Din a key artery people have been moving along fordays to exit the north.
It also agreed tothe opening of a second route, after a dealannounced by the White House a day earlier.
The White House said Israel agreed to implement a brief humanitarian pause each day.
Israel estimates that more than 850,000 of the 1.1 million people in northern Gaza have left, according to military spokespersonJonathan Conricus.He called the pauses "quick humanitarian windows" that allow southward movement "while we are fighting."
However, Francesca Albanese, the United Nationsspecial rapporteur on human rights inthe Palestinian territories, called the pauses "cynical and cruel," saying it was just enough "to let people breathe and remember what is the sound of life without bombingbefore starting bombing them again."
Mixed emotions
On Friday alone, tens of thousands of new refugees from the north had reached the central city ofDeir al-Balah.
With no fuel for vehicles, the crowds had walked for hours as explosions echoed a short distance away.
Among them were wounded and older people. They arrived hungry, exhausted and with a stew of emotions relief, rageand despair.
Reem Asant, 50, described winding through the streets on the way out of Gaza Citytrying to avoid shelling.
For Canada's Al Sabbagh,his journey has brought him to theEgyptianborder crossing at Rafah, where he and others with Canadian ties are still waiting for it to reopen.
His own proximity to the Rafah crossing left him with the hope that he will soon be able to leave the conflict behind.
Global Affairs Canada, however, said none of the Canadianson Friday's list of foreign nationals approved to leave the Gaza Strip were able to exit.
There were 266 Canadian citizens, permanent residents and their family members on the list who hoped to cross into Egypt.
With files from The Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Reuters
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