TEL AVIV: Israel issued new evacuation orders to displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza as fighting intensified after the collapse of the cease-fire with Hamas militants Friday.
In Arabic-language accounts on the Facebook and X social media platforms, Israel told the Palestinians that “obeying evacuation instructions is the safest way to preserve your safety, your lives and the lives of your families.”
Many of the Palestinians had already been ordered by Israel to evacuate northern Gaza earlier in the nearly two-month war with Hamas.
In advance of likely more attacks in the region, Israel told the Palestinians to leave 34 areas, all located southeast of the city of Khan Younis, and head to already-overflowing shelters or what it called the “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi, an agricultural area closer to the Mediterranean Sea.
The Israeli military marked a map in southern Gaza with nearly 2,400 “blocks,” and told the Palestinians to pay attention to Israeli announcements about whether their block was being evacuated.
Some families thought they could stay where they were, but later said they received recorded calls ordering them to leave.
“I cannot overstate the fear, panic & confusion that these Israeli maps are causing civilians in Gaza, including my own staff,” Melanie Ward, head of the humanitarian organization Medical Aid for Palestinians, wrote on social media, adding, “People cannot run from place to place to try to escape Israel’s bombs.”
The new evacuation orders came as Israel faces growing calls from the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden to do more to prevent the deaths of Palestinian civilians.
Khan Younis has come under an unrelenting attack from the Israeli military, where it believes more Hamas militants are hiding.
(VOA)
Comment