Israel Orders Evacuation In Central Gaza As Palestinian Health Ministry Claims 73 Killed While Waiting For Aid
The Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday in densely populated areas of central Gaza where large numbers of displaced Palestinians have been sheltering. These are regions where the military has not yet conducted ground operations during its ongoing conflict with Hamas. At least 73 people were killed while trying to access aid at locations across Gaza on Sunday, the Palestinian health ministry said.
The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding peace talks in Qatar. However, international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
Israel has confirmed hat its soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza, but it said the exact number of casualties being reported were much higher than what was found in military’s initial investigation, as reported by the Associated Press.
The evacuation order, hinting at a possible imminent assault on areas in Deir al-Balah, has raised alarm among families of Israeli hostages, who fear their loved ones may be held in the targeted zones. A large part of Gaza has been devastated by more than 21 months of warfare, with deepening fears of mass starvation.
In a post on X, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee stated that residents and displaced Palestinians in the Deir el-Balah area should leave immediately.
Israel was “expanding its activities” around Deir el-Balah, including “in an area where it has not operated before”, Adraee said, telling Palestinians to “move south towards the al-Mawasi area” on the Mediterranean coast “for your safety”.
Health officials at northern Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital stated that as many as 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens others were injured by Israeli fire as crowds gathered for the entry of U.N. aid trucks. Israeli military responded to this saying it was checking the report.
Palestinian health officials have warned that hundreds of people could soon die with hospitals already stuffed with patients suffering from dizziness and exhaustion due to food shortages and the breakdown in aid deliveries.
"We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," the Hamas-controlled health ministry said.
The United Nations issued its own statement on Sunday, expressing that civilians are starving and urgently require a substantial influx of aid.
Military Action and Hostage Concerns
The Israeli military dropped leaflets over southwest Deir al-Balah, urging the people who have been sheltering there, to evacuate and head further south.
"The (Israeli) Defense Forces continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area," the military declared, while noting it had not yet entered these districts during the current conflict.
The army had so far avoided these areas due to suspicions that Hamas may be keeping hostages there. Of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages believed to be in Gaza, at least 20 are thought to still be alive, Reuters reported citing Israeli sources.
Demanding an explanation from the army, hostage families said in a statement: "Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?"
Some Palestinians even suggested the decision to move to Deir al-Balah could be intended to pressure Hamas for further concessions in ongoing ceasefire talks.
Since the outbreak of war on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, the Israeli military’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 58,000 Palestinians according to health officials. Nearly the entire population has been displaced, and the enclave has been plunged into a severe humanitarian emergency.
Residents have complained that even basic food staples, such as flour, are now nearly impossible to find. The Gaza health ministry stated that a minimum of 71 children have died of malnutrition during the war, while another 60,000 are suffering symptoms of malnutrition. Soaring food prices have made things unaffordable for most of Gaza’s two million-plus inhabitants.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which supports Palestinians, called on Israel to allow greater aid access, stating that enough food for the territory’s population has been stockpiled for over three months but remains blocked from entry
"The Israeli Authorities are starving civilians in #Gaza. Among them are 1 million children. Lift the siege: allow UNRWA to bring in food and medicines," it wrote on X on Sunday.
Israel, on the other hand, maintains that it is not preventing aid from entering Gaza and accused Hamas of stealing food, an allegation Hamas has rejected. Israeli authorities also claim that the United Nations has failed to collect aid that is ready for distribution into the territory.
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