Calls for a humanitarian corridor or an escape route for Palestinians from Gaza as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has escalated have drawn a blunt reaction from Arab neighbours. A week after the Israel-Hamas War broke out last Saturday, the death toll in the conflict lies at 3,200 as the Israeli casualties surged past 1,300, while Gaza authorities have reported the deaths of over 1,900 Palestinians. A staggering number of residents, estimated to be tens of thousands, fled southward in Gaza, adhering to a 24-hour evacuation notice issued by Israel for the enclave's northern regions, as reported by the United Nations humanitarian office OCHA.