Cairo/Jerusalem: The Israeli army has issued fresh evacuation orders in areas of south and central Gaza that were previously designated as humanitarian safe zones. The army claims that Hamas has been using these areas to launch mortar and rocket attacks on Israel.
Residents in Deir al-Balah, a city not yet entered by Israeli forces since the war began over 10 months ago, reported heavy shelling and the movement of Israeli tanks into the city’s outskirts. Israel’s military said it had sent out warning flyers and text messages in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah and an area north of Khan Younis, urging civilians to move for their safety. The military stated that the warnings were issued to “mitigate harm to the civilian population and to enable civilians to move away from the combat zone.”
Palestinian news footage and social media posts, which international news agencies could not independently verify, showed families leaving Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis on donkey carts, rickshaws, and other vehicles packed with belongings.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which operates in Gaza, expressed its concern over the new evacuation orders, saying that the people of Gaza “remain trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction on a staggering scale.”
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Death Toll Rises
Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military reported that it had targeted an area in Khan Younis where rockets were launched toward the Israeli community of Kissufim. Weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and explosives, were discovered in the area. Gaza’s health ministry reported that Israeli strikes across the enclave on Friday resulted in the deaths of at least 17 Palestinians.
The new evacuation warnings come as negotiations in Doha concluded two days of talks aimed at ending the conflict in Gaza and facilitating the release of Israeli and foreign hostages. While progress remains slow, negotiators plan to resume discussions next week.
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Since the war’s inception following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced multiple times. Despite Israel designating certain areas as safe zones, there have been regular reports of civilian casualties from Israeli airstrikes.
Israel accuses Hamas of intentionally operating in civilian areas, a charge that Hamas denies. The conflict has evolved into more scattered and guerrilla-style attacks, with Hamas fighters employing smaller, mobile groups in their engagements with Israeli forces.
The Hamas attack on October 7 resulted in around 1,200 Israeli casualties, according to Israeli reports. Palestinian health authorities say that more than 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israeli military strikes. Israel, meanwhile, claims to have eliminated approximately 17,000 Hamas fighters.
