GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli forces have ordered Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October’s ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said on Tuesday the military was expanding the area under its control.
Residents of Bani Suhaila, east of the southern city of Khan Younis, said Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets on Monday ordering families living in tent encampments in the Al-Reqeb neighbourhood to evacuate immediately.
“Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately,” the leaflets said, written in Arabic, Hebrew and English.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to Reuters.
Residents said the orders targeted families already displaced earlier in the Israeli bombardment campaign and now sheltering in makeshift tents.
Ceasefire under strain
The evacuation orders come as the fragile ceasefire has stalled after its first phase.
Under that phase, major fighting stopped, Israel withdrew from less than half of Gaza, and Hamas released hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Despite the truce, Israel has continued air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. The Israeli military has said it views “with utmost severity” any attempts to attack Israel.
Virtually Gaza’s entire population of more than two million people remains confined to roughly one-third of the Palestinian territory, most of them living in tents or damaged buildings, according to humanitarian agencies.
Expansion of Israeli control
Ismail Al Thawabta, director of Gaza’s government media office, said Israeli forces had expanded the area under their control in eastern Khan Younis five times since the ceasefire.
“At least 9,000 people have been displaced as a result,” he told Reuters.
He said the latest evacuation orders affected around 3,000 people.
“On Monday, 19 January 2026, the Israeli occupation forces dropped warning leaflets demanding the forced evacuation of the Bani Suhaila area in eastern Khan Younis Governorate,” Thawabta said.
“This measure falls within a policy of intimidation and pressure on civilians.”
He added that the move had intensified pressure on limited shelter areas and worsened the internal displacement crisis.
Death toll continues to rise
Medical sources, cited by the Palestinian WAFA news agency, said one Palestinian was killed and 12 others wounded in Israeli military attacks in the past 24 hours.
They said many victims remained trapped under rubble or in streets that rescue teams cannot reach due to extensive destruction and shortages of equipment.
According to WAFA, 465 Palestinians have been killed and 1,287 wounded since the ceasefire came into effect on October 11.
A further 713 bodies have been recovered from beneath rubble during that period.
Since the start of Israel’s military offensive on October 7, 2023, at least 71,550 Palestinians have been killed and 171,365 wounded, the medical sources said.
Cold claims infant’s life
Separately, a seven-month-old Palestinian infant died on Tuesday due to severe cold, a medical source told Anadolu news agency.
The child, identified as Shatha Abu Jarad from Gaza City’s Al-Daraj neighbourhood, died after her heart stopped as a result of extreme cold, the source said.
Her death brings to nine the number of children who have died from cold-related causes in Gaza since the start of the current winter season.
Families across the enclave continue to face dire humanitarian conditions, with many living in tents or overcrowded shelters lacking sufficient blankets, warm clothing and heating, following more than two years of war.
