Israel orders partial evacuation of humanitarian zone

The Israeli military has ordered civilians to temporarily evacuate part of a designated humanitarian zone in southern Gaza ahead of what it calls a “forceful operation” against Palestinian militants who appear to have regrouped there.

The military said there had been “significant terrorist activity and rocket fire” from eastern neighbourhoods of Khan Younis city. and asked people to go to the “adjusted” al-Mawasi humanitarian area.

The announcement came after heavy Israeli airstrikes near Khan Younis, and video footage showed people fleeing in panic with just a few bags.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said 49 people were killed and 186 wounded in and around the city.

The casualties were taken to Nasser hospital, west of Khan Younis, where the ministry said blood donations were needed for treatment.

Tank fire killed scores of people in the town of Bani Suhaila, more than a mile (about 2km) east of Khan Younis, medics told Reuters.

Unconfirmed reports citing witnesses also said tanks had entered Khan Younis.

Much of Gaza’s second largest city was destroyed in an Israeli offensive that ended in April, but large numbers of residents returned after the army began an operation in nearby Rafah in early May.

Earlier this month, they were forced to relocate again after the Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for other eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis as well as nearby towns and villages, including Bani Suhaila.

They were directed to the humanitarian zone – which stretches along the coast from al-Mawasi to the central town of Deir al-Balah – despite warnings from the United Nations that it was overcrowded with tents and lacking basic services and vital infrastructure.

Mahmoud Abu Saqr, 46, told the BBC he and his family fled Bani Suhaila on Monday and were now “sitting on the streets” in the humanitarian zone.

“No one can buy tents. There is no way here to build new tents, even if we had the money,” he said.

“Israeli artillery stationed at the border has been shelling our town since morning. We moved to Rafah in November and returned to the town after the army asked us to do so. Today, we received a text message on our phones.”

“There is no safe zone,” he added. “It is all lies.”

The Israeli military said it was trying to “keep civilians away from the fighting areas” and that the boundaries of the humanitarian zone had been adjusted “in light of precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has implanted terrorist infrastructure in the area”.

In response, Hamas called on the international community to “take urgent action to end the systematic mass murders by Zionists against our people.”

Israel launched an operation in Gaza to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage.

More than 39,000 people have died in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

In a separate development on Monday, the Israeli military confirmed the deaths of two other Israeli hostages while being held, based on intelligence.

An investigation is underway into the circumstances of the death of Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, who also holds Polish citizenshipIsraeli media quoted a military source as saying there was a “high probability” that at least one man had been killed by Israeli fire.

“Yagev and Alex were captured alive and should have been returned to their families and their country,” the Forum for Hostage and Missing Families said in a statement. “Their deaths in captivity are a tragic reflection of the consequences of stalling negotiations.”

The forum called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately accept the proposed ceasefire and hostage release deal with Hamas.

Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday that he had an in-depth discussion with the Israeli negotiating team and directed them to participate in the next round of indirect talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt later this week.

Israel says 116 hostages are still being held in Gaza, 44 of whom are believed to be dead. Four other hostages were taken before October 7, two of whom are believed to be dead.

The Israeli military also said on Monday that it was looking into reports that its forces opened fire on a United Nations convoy heading toward Gaza City.

The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said an armoured vehicle was hit by at least five bullets as it waited near an Israeli checkpoint in the southern Wadi Gaza river valley on Sunday. The vehicle was severely damaged and UN staff had to take cover, but there were no casualties.

Mr Lazzarini said the convoy had been coordinated with Israeli authorities and demanded that “those responsible be held accountable”.