Israel on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of a large area in the town of Khan Younes, the largest in the south of the Gaza Strip, where many Palestinians displaced by the conflict have taken refuge, according to a UN report.
The Israeli army ordered the “immediate evacuation” of an area “covering approximately 20%” of the city of Khan Younes, notes this document published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
“The extent of the displacements resulting from the evacuation order is not clear,” notes Ocha.
According to the organization, the area was home to more than 111,000 residents before the start of the Israeli offensive two months ago, and now has some 141,000 Palestinians taking refuge in 32 camps fleeing the fighting.
On Monday, the Israeli army indicated that it was intensifying its operations in Khan Younes.
Since the start of the conflict triggered by an unprecedented deadly attack by Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7, the Israeli army has issued evacuation orders for civilians before carrying out strikes in Gaza.
This was published with a map on social networks, according to Ocha.
But the Palestinian territory has been under a blackout since Israel cut off electricity and fuel supplies, complicating the use of electronic devices.
Some 20,000 people — mostly women and children — have died in Gaza since the start of the Israeli army’s offensive, according to Hamas.
This offensive was launched in retaliation for the unprecedented attack carried out on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement, which left around 1,140 dead on Israeli soil. Some 250 people were also taken hostage, of whom 129 are still detained in Gaza, according to Israel.
Faced with increasing international pressure in favor of a truce in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whose country is Israel’s main ally, said on Wednesday that the world must also increase its pressure on Hamas. , and not just on Israel.