Gaza's humanitarian crisis worsens

The evacuation is just the beginning.   Friday, October 13, 2023: Hey readers, Today, we’ll be talking about the evacuation order for Gaza. Do you have any questions about what happens next in the war? Let us know [here](. — Izzie Ramirez, [Future Perfect]( deputy editor   UP FIRST Israel calls for more than a million Palestinians to leave north Gaza Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images In what the United Nations labeled an “[impossible](” demand, the Israeli government [called on Friday for 1.1 million people to evacuate their homes in north Gaza](. Gaza’s health ministry said that [nearly 1,900 Palestinians]( had been killed since Saturday, and that more than 7,000 people had been injured, as of 4 pm on Friday. Those numbers are expected to rise with a [potential land operation](. The lowdown: Israel is responding to [Hamas’s attack]( last weekend, which killed more than 1,300 Israelis, and has prompted comparisons to 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. It’s the greatest loss of life for Jews in a single day since the Holocaust — [and the bloodiest in Israeli history](. But the Israel-Palestine conflict has always been asymmetrical in terms of how much power a country can unleash, [writes foreign policy reporter Jonathan Guyer](. The humanitarian crisis that Palestinians have endured in Gaza was severe even before this latest conflict, and now it will get much worse. Here’s what you need to know: - Egypt and Israel control the territory’s border crossings, which are all closed. More than 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, which is a narrow strip of land about twice the size of Washington, DC. - Israel has already cut off access to water, fuel, and electricity. Israeli officials say this will last until [Hamas releases its approximately 150 hostages](. - In the last six days, Israel has [unleashed more than 6,000 bombs]( on the Gaza Strip. [By some counts,]( that’s more than the US-led coalition dropped in any given month against ISIS from 2014 to 2017. The stakes: Despite the risk to their lives from a potential ground attack by the Israeli military, many Palestinians are reluctant to leave their homes for southern Gaza. The reasons span from fears of a second [Nakba]( — “catastrophe” in Arabic, which is how Palestinians refer to the mass land loss and death of 1948 — to the fact that south Gaza has even fewer resources than the north. Even if Gazans evacuate the north, it will be a logistical nightmare to accomplish, with destroyed roads and lack of adequate care for the injured. There also are not enough shelters or places for evacuees to stay — many who already have evacuated are [stranded in the streets](. The UN said its priority is to negotiate with Israel to allow the opening of a humanitarian channel, as no essential aid, including water, has been able to get into Gaza. “It is clear to us that the clock is ticking,” UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told the [New York Times](. (But it’s looking rather unlikely that such an aid pathway will be available for Gazans.) More than a million Palestinian lives hang in the balance — how the next few days unfold will determine if such an evacuation will further compound the disaster.   CATCH UP The House of Representatives is a mess Drew Angerer/Getty Images Talk about hot and cold … Rep. Steve Scalise quit the speaker race after a rather embarrassing 24 hours. Here’s what you need to know about the efforts to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: - McCarthy helped avoid a government shutdown — but it was career suicide. He was ousted by his own party, leaving a [power vacuum]( and an impossible job. - Scalise narrowly won a vote among House Republicans to be the party’s nominee for the next speaker of the House Wednesday. He prevailed 113-99 in a [secret ballot]( over Rep. Jim Jordan. But to actually win the speakership, Scalise needed to win a majority on the House floor. That’s the hard part. - Yesterday, after more than a dozen Republicans said they wouldn’t vote for him, Scalise dropped out. Democrats were universally opposed, but most of the [Republican opposition]( came from hard-liners who supported Jordan — who has since been [nominated for the position](. [Read Andrew Prokop's piece here](.   VERBATIM 🗣️“Adding arbitrary 60-day time limits for when people are supposed to find a home in the richest city in the world is absurd and it’s the kind of weaponization of bureaucracy against very poor people that none of us should accept.” — Craig Hughes, a social worker with Mobilization for Justice, about how NYC aims to force migrant families with children out of shelters. [Gothamist](   AROUND THE WEB - Kaiser Permanente and striking health care workers reach a deal. More than 75,000 nurses, medical technicians, and support staff went on strike for three days — the largest health care work stoppage to date. The details of the deal have yet to be announced. [Guardian]( - LeVar Burton replaces Drew Barrymore as host of the National Book Awards. Honestly, this should have been the first pick — who wouldn’t want the Reading Rainbow icon to host? [NPR]( - Reggaetón star Bad Bunny drops new album: Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. I’ve written a [ton about Bad Bunny](, real name Benito Martínez Ocasio, and about how his previous album, [Un Verano Sin Ti](, was groundbreaking for the music industry as a whole. The new album returns to the artist’s trap roots. [Vulture](    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   MORE READS FROM VOX [The Eras concert movie is Taylor Swift leveling up]( [Nearly 2 million kids have been kicked off Medicaid this year]( [Zoos aren’t for animals. They’re for us.]([How to fight climate change with parking lots]( [Today’s crossword](   ONE LAST THING Enjoying the Sentences newsletter? Forward it to a friend, they can [sign up for it right here](. As always, we want to know what you think. We recently changed the format of this newsletter. Any questions, comments, or ideas? Write us at newsletter@vox.com or just reply to this email.    [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. 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