Israel prepares for next phase of war as Gaza residents scramble to flee

John Yang:

Good evening. I'm John Yang. Tonight, tension is building across Gaza as the Israeli military says it's ready in coordinated strikes from the land, sea, and air. Israel urged residents of northern Gaza to evacuate, while Hamas is urging them to stay in their homes.

Palestinian officials say more than 2,200 people have been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Last week's, bloody Hamas attack on southern Israel left more than 1,300 dead, most of them civilians. And there's late word from the State Department tonight that now 29 Americans are accounted among the dead, and there are 15 unaccounted for. Our report tonight is from special correspondent Leila Molana-Allen.

Leila Molana-Allen:

One week after Hamas's devastating terror attacks on Israeli soldiers along the border with Gaza prepare for the next phase of the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited some of those soldiers today, asking if they are ready for what comes next.

Residents of Gaza have the same question as they scramble desperately to get out of harm's way. Israel warned them in airdropped leaflets to evacuate to the south of the strip before 04:00 p.m. local time this afternoon.

Even as they tried to flee, Israeli airstrikes hit convoys on the way out of Gaza City. Airstrikes also hit the southern city of Khan Younis, inside the area to which more than a million Palestinians had been told to flee.

Ibrahim Abu Dakkah, Resident Of Khan Younis (through translator):

They didn't send any warnings or messages. We were safe in our homes. Homes that are filled with displaced people.

Leila Molana-Allen:

Khan Younis residents said the Israeli blockade means clean water and other essentials are nearly gone.

Kayed Bakr, Resident of Khan Younis: Water and power were cut off. Now the children are bottling water transported from the hospital. There is no water, no electricity, and no bread.

Leila Molana-Allen:

And on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces deployed additional troops as the Hezbollah militant group intensified shelling.

Back in Israel, families of people held hostage by Hamas are continuing their desperate search, many with little idea where their loved ones are or whether they're even alive.

Yoni Asher was on the phone with his wife away visiting her mother with their two small children when she started screaming that Hamas terrorists had broken into the house. The phone cut out and he hasn't heard from her since.

He discovered through a video that his wife and little girls had been kidnapped and taken to Gaza.

Yoni Asher:

I don't want to eat without knowing what they are eating. I don't want to sleep without knowing that they are sleeping well. I can't. I don't want to, but my body sometimes collapses.

Leila Molana-Allen:

In an interview with 60 Minutes, President Joe Biden said the hostages are a priority.

Joe Biden, U.S. President:

I think they have to know that the President of the United States of America cares deeply about what's happened to them. Deeply.

Leila Molana-Allen:

The U.S. announced a deal to open Egypt's Rafah border crossing to allow foreigners in Gaza to leave. People waited at the crossing for it to open. Around the world, from Islamabad to Dusseldorf, there were rallies in support of the Palestinian people. For PBS news weekend, I'm Leila Molana-Allen in Tel Aviv.