The Israeli army ordered the evacuation of several neighborhoods in southern Gaza on Saturday, affecting an area around the city of Khan Younis. This decision, part of a series of recent directives, has forced tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians to relocate once again. The area had previously been designated a “humanitarian zone” for Palestinian civilians.
The ongoing war and daily struggle for survival have taken a toll on the residents. According to Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for UNRWA, the main United Nations agency providing aid in Gaza, the people are not being treated as individuals but as pawns in a larger game.
The Israeli military cited a renewed Hamas insurgency as the reason behind the recent evacuations and operations in Khan Younis. They have accused Hamas of installing weapons infrastructure in the area covered by the evacuation order on Saturday.
Since the evacuation orders were issued, over 190,000 people have been forced to flee their shelters in southern and central Gaza, as reported by the United Nations. The area has seen intense fighting, resulting in casualties on both sides. The Israeli military claims to have eliminated more than 100 militants in Khan Younis in recent days, while Palestinian health officials have reported women and children among the casualties in local hospitals.
