In a new escalation, the Israeli military has directed residents and displaced individuals in several towns in central Gaza, including Deir al-Balah, to evacuate in preparation for an impending attack.
This marks a further reduction in the areas deemed “safe” by the military, intensifying the already dire humanitarian situation in the region.
Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, posted on the platform “X” along with a map indicating the specific areas targeted for evacuation, specifically blocks 129 and 130 in the neighborhoods of Al-Mahatta and Deir al-Balah.
Adraee emphasized that the Israeli forces would “act forcefully against organizations in that area.”
Following these new Israeli evacuation orders, the Government Media Office in Gaza released a statement condemning the actions as a deliberate attempt to “strangle 1.7 million Palestinian civilians by squeezing them into an area that is less than a tenth of the Gaza Strip.”
The office detailed a timeline of Israel’s strategy to confine civilians to a significantly reduced living space, highlighting the grave implications of these forced displacements.
The United Nations reported that the density in the “Al-Mawasi” area of Gaza, which stretches along the Mediterranean coast through Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, and Rafah, has reached 30,000 people per square kilometer due to the influx of displaced persons fleeing Israeli attacks.
This region, lacking adequate infrastructure, faces severe challenges in accommodating the growing population.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has noted that many Palestinians have sought refuge in parts of “Al-Mawasi,” with ongoing military operations and repeated evacuation orders forcing families in Gaza to move repeatedly.
Louise Wateridge, a spokesperson for UNRWA, stated, “Death seems to be the only certainty for 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza, where no place is safe due to continuous Israeli bombing.”
Wateridge, who has been in Gaza for two weeks, witnesses firsthand the escalating humanitarian crisis and the pervasive fear of death and disease as the conflict persists.
The situation in Gaza remains critical, with civilians trapped in a relentless cycle of displacement and despair.
