- Israel said it would guarantee the safety of Palestinians fleeing the area, including Gaza City, on two main roads until 4:00 pm local time. That is two hours from the time we are publishing. Thousands fled as Israel is expected to launch a ground assault after Hamas’ rampage a week ago that killed 1,300 people.
- More than 1,900 people in Gaza, a quarter of them children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes.
- And in Lebanon, a Reuters video journalist was killed and six other journalists injured when missiles fired from the direction of Israel struck them. Issam Abdallah was providing a live video signal for broadcasters when a loud explosion shook the scene. Two other Reuters journalists, Thaer Al-Sudani and Maher Nazeh, were wounded.
- No exit: Calls for a humanitarian corridor or an escape route for Palestinians from Gaza have drawn a blunt reaction from Arab neighbors: they should stay on their land. This reflects deep Arab fears that the war with Hamas could spark a new wave of permanent displacement from land where Palestinians want to build a future state. I also recommend the story on how Hamas secretly built a ‘mini-army’ to fight Israel.