DaysofPal- The Israeli army issued fresh evacuation orders late last night targeting five areas in the northern Gaza Strip and Gaza City, signaling a likely expansion of its military operations amid ongoing escalation and mounting humanitarian catastrophe.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adrai announced that residents in Jabalia al-Balad and Atatra in the northern Gaza governorate, as well as the neighborhoods of Shujaiya, Daraj, and Zeitoun in Gaza City, must evacuate immediately and head west. He stated that these areas are now considered “combat zones.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Adrai wrote, “Terrorist organizations continue their destructive activity in the region, so the IDF will expand its offensive activity in the areas where they are located to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations.”
This warning comes as part of what observers view as a continuing genocide that began on October 7, 2023, and coincides with Israeli declarations about expanding the war under the name Operation Gideon’s Chariots.
In another dangerous development, the administration of Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza announced that Israeli forces began forcibly evacuating patients and medical staff from the facility, raising serious concerns about the safety of vulnerable civilians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza condemned the action, stating it reflects “a continuation of the occupation’s crimes and violations against the health system in the Gaza Strip,” and urged all relevant international actors to intervene to protect medical infrastructure in line with international humanitarian law.
According to Hebrew media sources, the current Israeli campaign could extend over several months and entail “the comprehensive evacuation of the entire population of Gaza from the combat zones, including northern Gaza, to areas in the south of the Strip.” Reports also indicate that the army plans to remain in any area it “occupies.”
On May 22, Israeli media reported that the army aims to establish control over 75 percent of the Gaza Strip within the next two months. The Haaretz newspaper wrote, “The Israeli army estimates that within two months, it will control 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, concentrating about two million Palestinians in three main areas: Gaza City, the central refugee camps, and the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.”
This latest escalation comes as the Gaza Strip endures what humanitarian agencies describe as an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Since the closure of crossings on March 2, residents have faced extreme famine and critical shortages of food and medicine.
An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians out of 2.4 million have been rendered homeless due to the widespread destruction of homes by Israeli bombardments.
Since the start of the war on October 7, 2023, over 177,000 people have been killed or wounded, the majority of them women and children, according to Palestinian sources. More than 11,000 individuals remain missing, their fate unknown amid the rubble and devastation.
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