The Israeli military launched artillery and airstrikes on eastern Khan Younis shortly after asking residents to leave what it had previously designated as a humanitarian zone.
The attacks came less than an hour after the evacuation order. At least 30 people were killed, according to Gaza health officials.
The enclave’s population, most of whom have been displaced and are in desperate need of shelter and food, are finding it increasingly difficult to find safety as they are pushed into ever-shrinking “safe zones” by Israeli bombardment.
The army on Monday ordered people to leave some areas, including the eastern part of the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip, saying an operation was planned following the launch of a rocket attack towards Israel.
“People were not even given the chance to evacuate,” Tel Aviv Tribune’s Hind Khoudary reported from the central city of Deir el-Balah. “Israeli forces began their airstrikes and artillery bombardments in eastern Khan Younis shortly after dropping their evacuation leaflets.”
She noted that the wounded were pouring into the only functioning hospital in Khan Younis – the Nasser Medical Complex – and doctors were asking for blood donations.
The Israeli military said its new attacks on the area, which it has invaded several times during the war, were a response to Hamas operations.
In a message posted on X, the Israeli army accused Hamas of using civilians in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis as “human shields,” turning the area into a dangerous zone.
She called on residents, many of whom have already been displaced several times, to flee “immediately” further west to the al-Mawasi evacuation zone.
Due to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire towards the State of Israel from the eastern part of the Gaza humanitarian zone, it has become dangerous to remain in this area. As a result, the humanitarian zone will be reorganized at this time. This reorganization is underway… pic.twitter.com/bk5GGNXn6M
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) July 22, 2024
The order affects more than 400,000 people, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.
Al-Mawasi has not been spared from attacks. Earlier this month, a massive airstrike hit the area, killing more than 90 civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The attack, which the Israeli military said targeted senior Hamas commanders, was described by people sheltering in the area as a “horrific massacre,” leaving women and children strewn across their tents and in pieces.
“People feel like the Israelis are playing a game of chess with them, moving them from one place to another, and that no place is safe,” Khoudary said.
The wave of Israeli attacks in eastern Khan Younis comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Washington to address the US Congress, which has approved billions in military aid to Israel during the war.
It also comes as Israeli negotiators prepare to restart prisoner swap talks on Thursday, which Netanyahu says have stalled.
Since the start of the war, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed 38,983 people and injured nearly 90,000, the vast majority civilians, while reducing much of the enclave to rubble.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel must take measures to prevent civilian casualties and ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, but Israel rejected the court’s ruling.
