UN says Palestinians in Gaza heading back north after evacuating

Some Palestinians who followed the Israeli military’s orders to evacuate the northern parts of the Gaza Strip are now heading back home from the south due to airstrikes there as well, with one saying "I might as well die in my own house," a U.N. spokesperson says. 

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told reporters Friday that "We remain very concerned that Israeli forces’ heavy strikes are continuing across Gaza, including in the south," according to The Associated Press. 

"The strikes, coupled with extremely difficult living conditions in the south, appear to have pushed some to return to the north, despite the continuing heavy bombing there," she continued. 

Shamdasani also said the rights office had heard accounts about people wanting to migrate back north, including from one unidentified Palestinian who said "I might as well die in my own house," the AP reported. 

Israel at one point last week warned the 1.1 million people living in the north of Gaza to evacuate the area within 24 hours as a "humanitarian step in order to minimize civilian casualties" ahead of the military's response to Hamas' terrorist attacks. 

"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the Israel Defense Forces said in a news release.