TEL AVIV, November 10. /TASS/. Hundreds of thousands of Gazans have already moved from the north of the enclave, where active hostilities are raging, to its south, Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

"Hundreds of thousands of Gazan civilians have moved south and [the radical Palestinian organization] Hamas is doing everything it can to prevent them from moving. Hamas uses civilians as human shields. It is willing to use the children of Gaza to protect itself," he said during the evening briefing.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the border were killed and more than 200 people, including children, women and the elderly, were taken hostage. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.