Israeli attacks continue in central and southern Gaza / Thousands ordered to evacuate

2024-07-03 19:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israeli attacks continue in central and southern Gaza / Thousands ordered to

On Wednesday, Israeli forces launched attacks in central and southern Gaza after ordering the Palestinian civilian population to evacuate.

Army officials said the airstrikes in Rafah targeted Hamas fighters.

Likewise, Israeli troops carried out ground operations in the Shujaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, located in the northern part of the region.

The United Nations on Tuesday expressed deep concern over Israel's order to evacuate a large part of southern Gaza, which the UN says affects tens of thousands of civilians.

"Yesterday's order to evacuate 117 square kilometers in Khan Younis and Rafah provinces affects about a third of the Gaza Strip, making it the largest order issued since October, when residents were ordered to evacuate the northern part of Gaza," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

The UN's Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) estimates that some 250,000 people were sheltering in those areas at the time the evacuation order was issued.

Mr. Dujarric said the population that has been ordered to evacuate is facing a difficult choice, either to go to parts of the region that have almost no services, or to stay there amid the ongoing fighting.

He said the new evacuation order covers an area of ??more than 90 schools, most of which house displaced people, as well as four health centers.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces launched strikes in southern Gaza, and Palestinian health officials said at least eight people were killed in Khan Younis.

Israel has repeatedly called on Palestinians to leave parts of Gaza, usually before launching any attacks, as part of efforts that Israel says are aimed at protecting civilians.

Ahmad Najjar, a resident of the area targeted for evacuation, told the France-Presse news agency that "residents are gripped by extreme fear and anxiety" and added that he had seen "a large number of people" being displaced. ".

The Israel-Hamas war erupted after the militant group's October 7, 2023 attack on the Jewish state killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages.

As a result of the Israeli response, about 38,000 people have been killed so far, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and whole parts of the territory have been turned into ruins./ VOA