Jerusalem, Aug 16 (EFE).- The Israeli army on Thursday ordered the evacuations of east Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, and the north of Khan Younis, further reducing humanitarian zones, stating that both areas have been used by militants to launch rockets.
“The early warning is carried out in order to reduce the damage to the civilian population and keep them away from the combat area,” the armed forces said, which suggests an entry of troops into these areas, as the army has already done in Khan Younis, or that the bombings against them will be intensified.
With these orders, the armed forces directed Gazans to the so-called “humanitarian zone,” which is increasingly shrinking under the military premise that the militias use areas in it to fire their projectiles.
“The adjustment is in relation to accurate intelligence information,” the army said.
Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, has not yet been the target of a large-scale ground offensive like those suffered by other major cities in the enclave, and is also an important reception point for displaced people – 90 percent of Gazans are now displaced – as well as the center of operations for most humanitarian organizations.
This again directs residents of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah towards the humanitarian zone close to the coast, where thousands of Palestinians have crowded into with little access to water, electricity and other basic goods for months.
“The evacuation operations are carried out through SMS messages, recorded voice messages, phone calls, Arabic media broadcasts and announcements,” the army said.
On the other hand, the statement warned that it will not be necessary to evacuate hospitals in the safe zone.
Although this is the first time that Deir al-Balah has been subjected to such orders, Khan Younis has been subject to constant calls for evacuation since August and an Israeli ground offensive that killed 300 Palestinians in just eight days at the end of July, and which continues to this day.
Since the war began in October, a total of 40,005 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and another 92,401 have been injured, according to data from Gaza’s Ministry of Health. EFE
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