More civilians flee north Gaza as safe passage opened

THOUSANDS of Palestinians streamed onto Gaza's only highway on Friday, fleeing the combat zone in the north after Israel announced a window for safe passage, as officials in the enclave said the Palestinian death toll surpassed 11,000 people.

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THOUSANDS of Palestinians streamed onto Gaza's only highway on Friday, fleeing the combat zone in the north after Israel announced a window for safe passage, as officials in the enclave said the Palestinian death toll surpassed 11,000 people.

Amid an intensifying campaign of airstrikes and ground battles in Gaza City, the search for safety in the besieged enclave has grown increasingly desperate. Tens of thousands have walked south, where they face the prospect of ongoing bombardment and dire conditions.

Others have crowded into and around hospitals, sleeping in operating rooms and wards.

Gaza medical officials accused Israel of striking near hospitals on Friday, though Israel said at least one was the result of a misfired Palestinian rocket. The Red Crescent called for medical facilities and workers in war-ravaged Gaza to be protected, warning the health system there had "reached a point of no return".