- Israel advises inhabitants of Gaza to depart their locations.
The Israeli military has urged inhabitants of a particular region in southern Gaza to vacate, prepping for an upcoming military operation. This operation affects a sector within a humanitarian zone, as confirmed by an army spokesperson's statement. The military aims to combat terrorist organizations in the area, as declared in their Arabic announcement.
Residents have been instructed to move towards the west. The population in a part of Khan Yunis and a neighborhood of Deir al-Balah are the ones affected.
On previous occasions, Israel's army has urged inhabitants within the humanitarian zone to evacuate in order to combat Islamic Hamas. The size of the humanitarian zone has decreased. According to Israeli media, it currently measures around 42 square kilometers, which equates to around 11% of the total Gaza Strip area. Aid organizations have often lamented about the catastrophic conditions prevalent in the area where most of the population resides.
More casualties in Gaza Strip clashes
The Hamas-controlled health authority reported that 50 Palestinians were killed and 124 others injured in a day of clashes in the Gaza Strip. The number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the initiation of the Gaza war, approximately ten months ago, has reached 40,223. At least 92,981 others have been injured. However, these numbers cannot be fact-checked and do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Army: Dozens of terrorists "eliminated"
Israel's army plans to continue operations in the Tal al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah. "Troops have eliminated dozens of armed terrorists, demolished significant portions of the terrorist infrastructure in the area, and discovered a large cache of weapons," it stated.
Fighting continues in the city of Khan Yunis, as per reports. "Troops have eliminated several terrorists who were active in the area from which numerous rockets were launched at communities in southern Israel." Soldiers also targeted Hamas sites in the center of the Gaza Strip.
These reports could not be immediately verified independently.
The Gaza war commenced due to an unprecedented massacre, involving more than 1,200 deaths, carried out by terrorist groups, including Hamas, in Israel on October 7 last year.
The evacuation order applies specifically to residents in the Khan Yunis part of the Gaza Strip and a neighborhood in Deir al-Balah. The ongoing military operation by Israel is primarily focused within the Gaza Strip, specifically targeting areas within the reduced humanitarian zone.
