Agencies
Israel has issued a new warning to thousands of displaced Palestinians sheltering in central Gaza, saying its military is preparing to use “great force” against Hamas in the area as it continues to pummel the besieged strip with attacks that have killed at least 12 people since Saturday morning.
The evacuation call issued on Saturday is the first in weeks for Gaza, signalling another possible humanitarian crisis with a new wave of mass displacement as Israel’s war approaches its one-year mark, having killed at least 41,825 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded at least 96,910.
A map showing the areas to be evacuated was attached to the order posted on the social media platform X by the Israeli army. They are near the Netzarim Corridor, a strip of land that Israeli forces occupy and that separates northern Gaza from southern Gaza. The area has been previously evacuated due to deadly Israeli attacks.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said that before the warning, Israel carried out deadly bombardments of the area.
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, Israel hit a home and killed six members of a family, Khoudary reported.
She said another attack hit tents belonging to displaced Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, resulting in more fatalities, including a 13-year-old boy.
“Beit Hanoon in the northern Gaza Strip has also been targeted by Israeli forces,” Khoudary said, adding that ground operations were also under way in the eastern part of the Palestinian territory.
“Everyone here is traumatised. Everyone here is drained and exhausted. Everyone here is sad,” Khoudary said.
As the latest evacuation order was issued, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi renewed his call for ceasefires in both Gaza and Lebanon, where fighting continues to rage between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, as he held talks with officials from Iran’s ally Syria on Saturday.
“The most important issue today is the ceasefire, especially in Lebanon and in Gaza,” he told reporters.
“There are initiatives in this regard. There have been consultations that we hope will be successful.”
Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced at least once since Israel began its war on Gaza on October 7 after deadly Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced several times.
The Israeli military has often returned to areas where it has previously conducted operations in response to reports of Hamas activity.
Cultural sites in the Palestinian territory have also paid a heavy price in the war, the United Nations cultural organisation said.
On Saturday, UNESCO said it has verified damage to 69 sites in Gaza over the past year: 10 religious sites, 43 buildings of historical and artistic interest, two depositories of moveable cultural property, six monuments, one museum and seven archaeological sites.
