The Israeli army has announced plans to forcibly evacuate Palestinians from “combat zones” to southern Gaza, amid a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City.
Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, stated that residents would be provided with tents and shelter equipment transported through the Karem Abu Salem crossing by the United Nations and international relief organizations.
This move comes less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military had been given the green light to “dismantle” what he described as two remaining Hamas strongholds: Gaza City in the north and al-Mawasi further to the south.
The UN has warned that thousands of families already enduring appalling humanitarian conditions could be pushed over the edge if the Gaza City plan moves ahead.
The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad described the military’s announcement as “part of its brutal attack to occupy Gaza City” and “a blatant and brazen mockery of international conventions.”
They added, “forcing people to flee amidst starvation, massacres, and displacement is an ongoing crime against humanity. Criminal behavior in Gaza is inseparable from the daily crimes committed by the occupation in the occupied West Bank.”
The situation in Gaza is dire, with at least 61,827 people killed since October 2023, and malnutrition claiming 251 lives so far, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Eleven people, including a child, have starved to death in the past 24 hours.
Director-General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, Munir al-Bursh, stated that 40,000 infants in the territory are suffering from severe malnutrition amid critical food shortages caused by Israel’s restrictions on aid into Gaza.
Hind Khoudary described the reality of hunger in Gaza as “devastating.” She added, “Palestinians have no choice but to see their children die of malnutrition and starvation.”
According to Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, “only 10 percent” of the daily food supplies needed are entering the territory, “while the health system is collapsing day by day and our capacity is very limited.”
The United Nations has warned that levels of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza are at their highest since the war began.
UN chief António Guterres described the Israeli cabinet’s decision to expand its military operation inside the Gaza Strip as a “dangerous escalation” for the two million civilians trapped in the enclave.
The international community is calling for a full, immediate, and permanent ceasefire, unconditional release of all hostages, and compliance with international humanitarian law by Israel.
In recent days, Israeli forces have increased operations on the outskirts of Gaza City, with residents reporting heavy aerial and tank fire. An Israeli drone targeted a group of people in the Asqaula area of the Zeitoun neighborhood, killing two and wounding several others.
Another person was killed and three injured when a house near the al-Alami Mosque was hit. The tented encampment of al-Mawasi, designated as a “safe zone,” also came under attack, killing a baby girl and her parents.