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Rabat – Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched deadly strikes in southern Gaza on Tuesday after issuing orders for Palestinians to immediately evacuate areas near the border with Egypt. The bombing around Khan Younis, Gaza’s main southern city, has killed eight people and wounded over 30, according to local sources.
The strikes were reportedly a response to a rocket barrage targeting southern Israel, claimed by the militant group Islamic Jihad, allied with Hamas. This attack led to an evacuation order for regions east of Khan Yunis and Rafah, causing widespread fear and displacement among residents.
Al Jazeera reported that hundreds of Palestinians were forced to flee the European Hospital and tent camps in Khan Younis following the evacuation orders. Meanwhile, Israeli artillery continues to hit the eastern neighborhoods of the city, targeting several houses sheltering displaced people in the al-Fukhari, Qizan Abu Rashwan, and Khuza’s areas.
Israeli attacks on Gaza have intensified with six days of fierce battles following a similar evacuation order for Shujaiya in Gaza City. Israeli forces have been carrying out several attacks in Shujaiya, central Gaza, and Rafah.
The Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza was also hit, with at least one child reported dead by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has condemned Israel’s latest evacuation order, estimating that 250,000 people will have to flee.
“Just weeks after people were forced to return to a devastated Khan Younis, Israeli authorities have issued new evacuation orders for the area…Yet again, families face forced displacement,” the agency said on social media platform X.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in Gaza, described the chaotic situation in southern Gaza. “They are not evacuation orders. They are mainly a death sentence for people when they are herded from one place to another and only end up being killed,” he said.
Despite statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about a possible downshift in operations, in order to focus the Israel-Lebanon border conflicts, however the situation in Gaza remains dire. Even on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed skepticism about the reduction in military activity. “We’ve heard the Israelis talk about a significant downshift in their operations in Gaza … It remains to be seen,” he said.
The United Nations and relief agencies continue to voice concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where 2.4 million people face severe hardships.
