Fear of 'second Nakba' if human corridor opened with Egypt

In response to Hamas's surprise attack over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's response would "change the Middle East".

There are growing fears among Palestinians in Gaza that change could come in the form of a repeat of the Nakba, the mass Palestinian displacement of 1948, if thousands flee the besieged enclave and cross into Egypt.

Hamas launched a surprise multi-front assault on Israeli communities on Saturday, firing thousands of rockets and sending fighters into Israel across land, air, and sea. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed, and around 130 people taken captive back to Gaza.

Israeli forces have responded by raining down a barrage of air strikes on the Gaza Strip this week, killing at least 1,350 people, most of them women and children.

Talk has ramped up this week of a humanitarian corridor being opened up between Egypt and Gaza, to allow for civilians to escape Israel’s relentless bombardment. 

Read more: Fear of 'second Nakba' if human corridor opened with Egypt