Israel’s army has ordered 1.1 million civilians in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate “southwards” within just 24 hours — an order the United Nations called “impossible” without “devastating humanitarian consequences.” The ultimatum came as Israel massed troops, tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel for a widely anticipated ground invasion of Gaza. On Friday, Israel dropped thousands of leaflets across the Gaza Strip warning Palestinians to leave their homes or risk death. The Norwegian Refugee Council condemned what it called “the collective punishment of countless civilians, among them children, women, and the elderly,” which it said “would amount to the war crime of forcible transfer.”

Israel’s ultimatum came as its unrelenting bombardment of Gaza continued for a seventh day. This is 14-year-old Jinan al-Attar, whose uncle was killed and whose family was left homeless by Israeli airstrikes.

Jinan al-Attar: “It was my sister’s wedding, and we were making sweets when the airstrike started. So we left the house. We were packed on top of each other in the car, and we drove directly to the school here. But living in the school is not nice, and my uncle went back to the house. And they bombed it while he was there, and he was killed.”

Health officials in Gaza say at least 1,537 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes, including 500 children. Israel reports it dropped 6,000 bombs on Gaza during the first six days of its assault. Hospitals are overwhelmed with the wounded and dead, and increasingly rationing fuel to operate life-saving medical equipment.