Middle East
Israel orders more evacuations in Gaza after militants fire rockets
Associated Press
September 9, 2024
Palestinians gather to fill water jugs at a makeshift tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Aug. 29, 2024. (Abdel Kareem Hana/p)
The Israeli military has ordered another evacuation of some residential areas in northwest Gaza where it says Palestinian militants fired rockets on the nearby Israeli town of Ashkelon.
The orders issued on Monday came after a rocket attack triggered air raid sirens in Ashkelon the day before. The military said it intercepted one projectile and another fell in the sea.
Israel ordered the evacuation of all of northern Gaza, including the territory’s largest city, in the opening weeks of the war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Most residents heeded the orders and headed south, but up to 300,000 remained in the north, where Israel’s air and ground operations have caused widespread destruction. The north has been surrounded by Israeli forces and largely isolated since October.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million people have been displaced in the 11-month-old war, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands of people are crammed into tent camps along the coast with few if any public services.