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In the news today: Hamas calls on Palestinians to remain in place after Israel orders civilians to evacuate Gaza; Steve Scalise ends his bid to become U.S. House speaker; and an Oklahoma man used pandemic relief funds to help exonerate him after a murder conviction. Also, Sony unveils a new video game controller for gamers with disabilities.

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Palestinian children wounded in Israeli strikes are brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Ali Mahmoud)

WORLD NEWS

Hamas calls on Palestinians to stay home after Israel orders 1.1 million civilians to evacuate Gaza

Israel’s military delivered a sweeping evacuation order for almost half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people on Friday ahead of an anticipated ground offensive aiming to eradicate the Hamas militant group, U.N. officials said. The order sent panic through civilians and aid workers already struggling under Israeli airstrikes and a blockade. Read more.

Recent developments:

• Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, dismissed the order and called on Palestinians to “remain steadfast in your homes and to stand firm” in a statement calling the evacuation directive part of a “disgusting psychological war waged by the occupation.”
  
  

• Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Red Crescent in Gaza City, said more than 1 million people could not be safely moved that fast. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, “The United Nations considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences.”
  
  

• The directive was seen as a precursor to an expected Israeli ground offensive, though the Israeli military has not yet confirmed any plans. A ground offensive in Gaza would likely increase casualties on both sides in a war that already has killed more than 2,800 people, including 13 hostages Hamas claimed on Friday were killed by Israeli bombardments. There was no immediate Israeli comment.

Related coverage ➤ 

Live updates | Israel orders hundreds of thousands of civilians in Gaza City to evacuate ahead of possible ground assault

Hamas practiced in plain sight, posting video of mock attack weeks before border breach

A music festival survivor fleeing the attack, a pair of Hamas militants and a deadly decision

POLITICS

GOP’s Scalise ends his bid to become House speaker

Republican Steve Scalise ended his bid to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives late Thursday after hardline holdouts refused to back the party’s nominee, throwing the GOP majority into deeper chaos and leaving the chamber unable to function. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Republicans who withheld support from the House majority leader argued Scalise would not be a better choice for leader than ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy and said he should focus on his health as he battles cancer.
  
  

• The next steps are uncertain as the House remains closed for business for a second week while pressure increases on the Republican majority to reassert control during a time of turmoil in the U.S. and wars overseas.

Related coverage ➤

Some want to grant temporary House speaker more power as Republican gridlock stalls Congress

Republicans are divided on far-right move to remove McCarthy as House speaker, an AP-NORC poll shows

U.S. NEWS

An Oklahoma man used pandemic relief funds to have his name cleared of murder

An Oklahoma man who was freed after being imprisoned for decades on a murder conviction said there are more cases like his. Ricky Dority used pandemic relief money to hire a private investigator, who worked with students from Oklahoma City University’s Innocence Project to free him. Read more.

Why this matters:

• Dority is one of nearly 3,400 people who have been exonerated nationwide since 1989, mostly after murder convictions, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. In Oklahoma, there have been more than 43 exonerations in that time, not counting another three this year.
  
  

• The exonerations underscore problems within the judicial system including overworked defense attorneys, shoddy forensic work, overzealous prosecutors and outdated investigative techniques.

Related coverage ➤

Republican-led Oklahoma committee considers pause on executions amid death case scrutiny

2 Kentucky men exonerated in 1990s killing awarded more than $20 million

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HAPPENING TODAY

• Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones star in courtroom drama “The Burial,” available to stream for free on Prime Video today.

IN OTHER NEWS

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Officers trial: 1 of 2 Colorado officers convicted in Elijah McClain’s death after neck hold, ketamine injection

Activision Blizzard: Microsoft’s bid for Activision gets UK approval. It removes the last hurdle to the gaming deal

Mar-a-Lago case: Judge scolds prosecutors as she delays hearing for co-defendant in Trump classified documents case

Climate change: Scientists count huge melts in many protective Antarctic ice shelves

Donald Trump: Trump’s criticism of Israel’s Netanyahu draws strong condemnation from GOP rivals

Kansas City Chiefs: Taylor Swift returns to Arrowhead Stadium to see Travis Kelce and the Chiefs face the Broncos

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TODAY IN HISTORY

On October 13, 2010: Rescuers in Chile using a missile-like escape capsule pulled 33 men, one by one, to freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground. In the image above, Luis Urzua, the last of 33 rescued miners, celebrates next to Chile's President Sebastian Pinera. (AP Photo/Roberto Candia)

A look at what else happened in history on October 13

A CHANGE OF PACE

A beaver is released at Paradise Fields in London on Wednesday. (James Manning/PA via AP)

Beavers are reintroduced to west London for first time in 400 years
Environmentalists and London’s mayor have helped bring beavers back to the city for the first time in 400 years to improve biodiversity and wetland ecosystems.

WATCH: Sony unveils a new game controller for gamers with disabilities

Five years in the making, Sony PlayStation is releasing a highly adjustable video game controller for gamers with various physical challenges.

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