Israel has issued a new warning to thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in central Gaza, stating that its military is preparing to use “great force” against Hamas in the area as it continues to bombard the embattled strip, killing at least 12 people since Saturday morning.
The evacuation order issued on Saturday is the first in weeks for Gaza, indicating another potential humanitarian crisis with a new wave of mass displacement as Israel’s war nears its one-year mark, killing at least 41,825 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring at least 96,910.
The Israeli army released an order on the social networking platform X, which included a map of the places to be evacuated. They are near the Netzarim Corridor, a piece of land occupied by Israeli forces that separates northern and southern Gaza.
The neighborhood was previously evacuated owing to fatal Israeli assaults. According to Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, who is reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Israel conducted fatal bombardments of the region prior to the warning.
Israel hit a residence in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing six members of a family, according to Khoudary.
She said another attack hit tents belonging to displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, resulting in more fatalities, including a 13-year-old boy
“Beit Hanoon in the northern Gaza Strip has also been targeted by Israeli forces,” Khoudary said, adding that ground operations were also under way in the eastern part of the Palestinian territory.
“Everyone here is traumatised. Everyone here is drained and exhausted. Everyone here is sad,” Khoudary said