Israeli military officials said only one-third of the estimated 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City have left the area following an evacuation order.

Israel launched its long-awaited ground offensive into Gaza’s capital on Tuesday, after issuing an evacuation order for the area weeks ago. Nearly two years into the trudging war, however, Palestinians have grown fatigued and distrustful of evacuation orders. Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said Tuesday that only 350,000 Palestinians had left Gaza City since the evacuation order. This means that nearly 650,000 remain in the embattled enclave, far more than the expected 200,000, as ground forces move in alongside an increasingly intense bombardment.

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