Flee the bombs again. The Israeli army on Monday ordered some residents of Khan Younes, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate their homes before 'an intensive operation against terrorist organizations', according to a press release. “Due to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire towards Israel from the eastern part of the humanitarian zone, it is now unsafe to remain there,” the statement said.
According to the map released by the Israeli army, residents of the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younes must head west, that is to say along the sea, in a part of the Gaza Strip that the Israeli government calls al-Mawasi a 'humanitarian zone'. A second map released by the Israeli army shows that part of al-Mawasi is no longer considered part of the area to which residents were supposed to evacuate.
After Israeli bombings in recent weeks on this area, many Palestinians fear going to these expanses of tents, some of which are only sections of tarpaulins or humanitarian aid bags hung on pieces of wood. Residents of eastern Khan Younes as well as adjoining suburbs and villages described scenes of panic Monday morning.
At least 37 people were killed and more than 120 injured by the Israeli army on Monday, according to a report from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, which is based on arrivals at the Nasser hospital, one of the last partially operational health facilities in the southern Gaza Strip.
The situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly, with reports indicating that since the beginning of the war on October 7, nearly 39,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom are women and children. The humanitarian crisis is exacerbated by the ongoing military operations, leading to a desperate need for international assistance and a call for a ceasefire.
