Israeli military orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone

Source: The Guardian

Israeli military orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone

New evacuation order for Khan Younis covers part of area designated a humanitarian zone by IDF

Ruth Michaelson in Jerusalem and Malak A Tantesh
Mon 22 Jul 2024 14.48 BST
First published on Mon 22 Jul 2024 13.38 BST

The Israeli military has ordered Palestinians to leave a number of neighbourhoods in the southern city of Khan Younis, including areas that had been designated by the military as part of a humanitarian zone.

Palestinian civil defence in the territory estimated that 400,000 people sheltering in the city were affected by the order, which included the eastern part of al-Mawasi, a sandy strip of land without infrastructure where Palestinians have sought shelter in tent encampments in recent months.

The military said it planned to start an operation against Hamas militants in Khan Younis and part of Al Mawasi, claiming they used the area to launch rockets at Israel.

“We were displaced from the eastern regions, they called us to evacuate, we took our children and left,” Osama Qudeih told the Associated Press (AP). “There was no safe place left in the Gaza Strip … We went out walking in the streets, not knowing where to go.”

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/22/israel-khan-younis-southern-gaza-evacuation-order-attacks-humanitarian-areas