The Israeli military has ordered new evacuations in southern Gaza after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed more than 100 Palestinians, local health officials said.
Hundreds of families carrying their belongings in their arms left their homes and shelters in Khan Younis early Sunday, searching for elusive refuge.
Israel has repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops return to heavily damaged areas where they had previously fought Palestinian fighters. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced by the 10-month-old war, often multiple times.
Hundreds of thousands of people have crowded into squalid tent camps with no public services or sought shelter in schools like the one that was hit in Gaza on Saturday. Palestinians say nowhere in the besieged territory feels safe.
The latest evacuation orders concern areas of Khan Younis, including part of an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone from which the army says rockets have been fired. Israel accuses Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of hiding among civilians and launching attacks from residential areas.
Khan Younis, Gaza’s second city, has been largely destroyed by Israeli air and ground attacks. Tens of thousands of people fled the city last week after being ordered to evacuate.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the number of Palestinians killed in the war is approaching 40,000 and more than 92,000 injured. Aid agencies are struggling to respond to the humanitarian crisis in the territory, while international experts warn of famine.
