News reports out of Gaza said those looking to flee the Israeli bombardment after last week’s Hamas attack learned quickly that there was nowhere to go and they were stuck there—hoping to find refuge inside the city’s main hospital or UN schools.

Both Israel and Egypt have closed border crossings. Besides nobody leaving, essential humanitarian aid has also been blocked from entering the city, creating its own crisis due to the lack of water, electricity, food, and medication. The Associated Press reported that hospitals “faced collapse” on Monday.

The report said more than 1 million Gazans have fled their homes and about 60 percent of them are currently located in a designated evacuation zone. It is believed that Israeli forces are preparing for a ground offensive in the city. 

The AP noted that there is nowhere safe. An Israeli missile destroyed a building in Rafah, which is in south Gaza, that had been housing three families who were trying to escape the onslaught. The report said at least 12 people were killed and nine others were missing. 

The news wire reported that there are believed to be 400,000 people who are taking shelter inside UN facilities in the south, but there is no aid, and they have to fend for themselves.

“Gaza is running out of water, and Gaza is running out of life,” Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA chief, said. “We need this now.”

The Wall Street Journal reported that Egypt is facing increased pressure to allow these refugees into the country, but there are security concerns.

Mahmoud Mirdawi, an official with Hamas’s political bureau, said there’s concern that if Gazans do flee, they will essentially be handing over their homeland “for permanent death.”

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said, “In this dramatic moment, as we are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East, it is my duty as Secretary-General of the United Nations to make two strong humanitarian appeals.”

He called for Hamas to release the hostages without conditions, and Israel “should grant rapid and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid for the civilians in Gaza.”

TRENDPOST: WSWS called Israel’s bombing of Gaza, with hundreds of thousands trapped there nothing short of “genocide.”

“A population of two million is being systematically killed through starvation and thirst, while one million people in Northern Gaza are being forced on a death march in advance of an imminent ground invasion,” Andre Damon, a WSWS journalist, wrote. “This genocide has the full support of the Biden administration, which has given Israel a blank check to carry out war crimes. Operationally, Israel’s actions are being overseen by the United States.”  

A video emerged on social media that showed a 95-year-old Israeli veteran, Ezra Yachin, motivating troops preparing for an invasion of Gaza and he told them to “be triumphant and finish them off.”

“And don’t leave anyone behind. Erase the memory of them,” he said. “Erase them, their families, mothers, and children. These animals can no longer live.”