GAZA CITY: Israel on Monday issued new evacuation orders for the central Gaza Strip area of Deir Al-Balah, compelling thousands of Palestinian families to flee their homes amid fears of intense Israeli airstrikes and a ground operation.
The evacuation orders are part of a broader pattern of Israeli directives that have forced large-scale displacement across Gaza. According to local officials, these orders have displaced approximately 250,000 people in Deir Al-Balah alone.
This is part of the largest evacuation effort since the beginning of the Israeli bombardment ten months ago, raising significant concerns among Palestinians, the United Nations, and humanitarian organizations about the reduction of safe zones and the dire lack of humanitarian relief areas.
On Monday, Israeli military strikes resulted in the deaths of at least seven Palestinians, with casualties reported in various locations including Deir Al-Balah, a school in the Al-Nuseirat camp, and the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border. The escalation has intensified the humanitarian crisis in the region, where infrastructure and medical facilities are already overwhelmed.
The new evacuation orders have forced many patients and residents to leave Al-Aqsa Hospital, the main medical facility in Deir Al-Balah. The hospital, which has been a crucial refuge for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians, is now under severe threat from the nearby bombardments.
Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reported an explosion about 250 meters from the hospital, causing panic among the patients and staff. MSF stated it is considering suspending wound care due to the escalating danger, though it is striving to maintain life-saving treatment for the remaining patients.
Currently, only 100 out of approximately 650 patients remain at the hospital, with seven in the intensive care unit, according to Gaza’s health ministry. MSF has asked Israel to respect the hospital’s safety and ensure continued access to medical care.
The escalation in violence comes after failed truce talks in Cairo. Israeli airstrikes and shelling have continued throughout Gaza City and other areas, with recent reports indicating that a strike on a Gaza City house in the Al-Rimal neighborhood resulted in at least five deaths.
Rescuers have reported that more victims might still be trapped under the rubble, including many women, men, and elderly individuals who were asleep when the building was hit.
Despite ongoing international efforts to broker a ceasefire, including “constructive” talks described by a senior US official, Hamas has rejected the new conditions proposed by Israel. Hamas’s official Osama Hamdan criticized the US statements on the ceasefire as false and politically motivated.
Since October 7 last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing at least 40,405 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Meanwhile, Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are facing extreme shortages of food, medicine, and basic necessities. The war has brought widespread devastation to the densely populated enclave.
