GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (BN24) — Israel said Saturday it is preparing to forcibly evacuate Palestinians from “combat zones” in northern Gaza to the south, deepening fears of mass displacement as fighting intensifies around Gaza City.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee announced that beginning Sunday, civilians would be moved to encampments in southern Gaza, with tents and supplies to be provided through the Karem Abu Salem, or Kerem Shalom, crossing in coordination with the United Nations and international relief groups. The UN has not confirmed its role in the relocation plan.
The announcement comes less than a week after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces had been authorized to “dismantle” what he called Hamas strongholds in Gaza City and the southern coastal strip of al-Mawasi. Gaza City, with an estimated population of one million, is at the center of the offensive, though officials have not clarified where displaced residents will be taken.
The move drew sharp condemnation from Palestinian factions. Islamic Jihad denounced the plan as “a blatant and brazen mockery of international conventions,” saying forced evacuation under bombardment and starvation amounted to “an ongoing crime against humanity.”
On the ground, Israeli operations have intensified in Gaza City neighborhoods including Zeitoun and Shujayea, where residents reported heavy shelling and drone strikes. An airstrike on a home near the al-Alami Mosque in eastern Gaza killed one person and wounded three, while a drone strike in the Asqaula area killed two and injured others, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The violence also reached al-Mawasi, an area previously designated by Israel as a “safe zone.” An Israeli air raid struck a tented encampment there Saturday, killing Motasem al-Batta, his wife, and their infant daughter. “Two and a half months, what has she done?” asked their neighbor, Fathi Shubeir, as he mourned the baby girl.
The toll of Israel’s war in Gaza continues to mount. The territory’s Health Ministry said Saturday that at least 61,827 people have been killed since October 2023. Malnutrition has claimed 251 lives, including 11 in the past 24 hours alone. Officials said 40,000 infants are suffering from severe malnutrition due to restrictions on aid deliveries.
Hospitals remain overwhelmed. At Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, Director Mohammed Abu Salmiya said doctors were performing amputations without adequate medicine as patients succumbed to infection and hunger. The World Health Organization estimated that more than 14,800 patients require lifesaving medical care unavailable in Gaza.
Some have been flown abroad for treatment, but survival remains uncertain. Twenty-year-old Marah Abu Zuhri, evacuated to Italy on a humanitarian flight, died Friday after arriving severely emaciated, Pisa’s University Hospital said.
As Israeli forces push deeper into Gaza City, the United Nations has warned that the forced evacuation plan risks pushing families already enduring extreme deprivation “over the edge,” worsening what it calls one of the world’s most dire humanitarian crises.
Source: Aljazeera
