Palestinian civilians move away from the eastern districts of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip following evacuation orders by the Israeli army on July 22, 2024. (Bashar Taleb, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — The Israeli military ordered civilians to leave parts of the Gaza city of Khan Younis due to a renewed assault against Hamas, even as it reduced the size of an already overcrowded humanitarian zone where they could potentially take shelter.
The Israel Defense Forces “is about to forcefully operate against the terrorist organizations,” the military said in a statement early Monday. The remaining population in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis should temporarily move to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, it said.
Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by more than nine months of fighting have taken up residence in Al-Mawasi, a sandy coastal expanse with little by way of infrastructure. Many families who were staying there have opted to return to Khan Younis — Gaza’s second-largest city — to escape appalling living conditions after Israeli ground forces initially withdrew from the town in early July.
The decision to decrease the size of the humanitarian zone and the order for civilians to relocate were based on precise intelligence that Hamas was operating in those areas, the military said.
The latest development in the conflict was announced as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarks on a trip to Washington, during which he is scheduled to meet President Joe Biden and address a joint session of congress.
The U.S. is a key ally of Israel and has supported it during the conflict, while attempting to broker a cease-fire and urging more help for civilians. Biden announced on Sunday that he would no longer seek re-election in November and endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris in the contest against Donald Trump.
Calls to leave Khan Younis were communicated to residents through text messages, phone calls and media broadcasts in Arabic. Israel directly contacted Gazan health officials and international aid organizations to stress there is no need to evacuate hospitals in the area.
Residents of eastern Khan Younis reported heavy shelling early Monday. Thirty-five people were killed and 80 were injured in the aerial and ground bombardment, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said.
Iman Abu Baraka, who lives with her three children in a tent next to her ruined house in the area, said she received two calls on Monday morning instructing her to move to Al Mawasi.
“This would be our seventh displacement. We don’t know where to go or how to get to Al Mawasi,” she said by phone. “I’m thinking to stay here.”
The Israel-Hamas war began when Hamas militants burst into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. Israel responded with an air and ground assault has claimed the lives of 38,000 people, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which doesn’t distinguish between between fighters and civilians. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union.
About 120 hostages remain in Gaza, including four who have been held there since 2014. On Monday, the Israeli military said Alex Dancyg and Yagev Buchschtab had died, bringing to at least 46 the number of captives that have been confirmed as dead based on intelligence, videos and survivor testimony. Officials have said the number could be as high as 60.
Israel’s government has faced sustained public pressure to agree to a cease-fire that would secure the hostages’ release, but internationally mediated talks have failed to yield positive results. Late Sunday, Netanyahu said he had approved the departure of an Israeli team to participate in further negotiations, although his statement gave no details on where they would be held.
Last month, the Israeli leader said intense fighting in Gaza would end “very soon.” Barring temporary cease-fires, Israeli forces intend maintaining a military presence in the strip that would allow them to carry out targeted operations to ensure Israel’s security is safeguarded, several officials have said.
The risks of a wider conflict in the Middle East have mounted over the past few days, with Yemen-based Houthi rebels launching a drone attack on Tel Aviv that claimed the life of one man and injured several others. Israel responded with an air strike on the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port, destroying a fuel depot and damaging an electricity grid.
With assistance from Fares Akram, Paul Abelsky and Greg Sullivan.
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