Israel mandates the evacuation of a designated humanitarian zone in Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — The military of Israel commanded the relocation Saturday of a congested part of Gaza designated as a humanitarian zone, stating it is preparing an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis, including sections of Muwasi, a makeshift tent camp where thousands are seeking sanctuary.
The decree comes in reaction to rocket fire that Israel asserts originates from the region. It’s the second evacuation issued in a week in an area designated for Palestinians escaping other parts of Gaza. Many Palestinians have been displaced multiple times in search of safety during Israel’s punishing air and ground campaign.
On Monday, following the evacuation directive, multiple Israeli airstrikes struck around Khan Younis, resulting in the death of at least 70 individuals, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, citing data from Nasser Hospital.
The region is part of a 60-square-kilometer (approximately 20-square-mile) “humanitarian zone” to which Israel has been instructing Palestinians to migrate to throughout the conflict. Much of the area is covered with tent camps that lack hygiene and medical facilities and have restricted access to assistance, United Nations and humanitarian organizations indicate. Around 1.8 million Palestinians are taking shelter there, as estimated by Israel. This accounts for over half of Gaza’s pre-war population of 2.3 million.
Further north, airstrikes led to the deaths of at least five people overnight in Zawaida in central Gaza, as reported by AP journalists who witnessed the bodies at the hospital. The tally, validated by Deir al Balah’s Al Aqsa hospital, included a father, mother, and three children.
The conflict in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of more than 39,100 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its calculations. The U.N. estimated in February that approximately 17,000 children in the region are now without guardians, and this number is likely to have increased since then.
The conflict commenced with an onslaught by Hamas militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals, mostly civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages. Approximately 115 are still in Gaza, with about a third of them presumed deceased, according to Israeli authorities.
Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war