Palestinians left with nowhere to flee as Israel extends its attacks across the enclave.
Displaced Palestinians make their way as they flee Hamad City following an Israeli evacuation order in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, August 11, 2024 [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
Published On 11 Aug 202411 Aug 2024
Israel issued new evacuation orders overnight covering areas of southern Gaza as it pressed on with its assault on the enclave, despite global condemnation of a devastating strike on a school-turned-shelter.
The Israeli military issued the order to clear parts of the city of Khan Younis, including part of an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone from which the army said rockets had been fired, early on Sunday. The order came a day after an Israeli air strike on al-Tabin School in Gaza City reportedly killed more than 100 people sheltering there.
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The area that the new evacuation order covers is one of the largest in the 10-month-old conflict. The announcement was posted on X and sent in text and audio messages to residents’ phones.
“For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to the newly created humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone,” it read.
The Palestinian Civil Defence in Gaza said more than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens more were injured on Saturday when Israel launched an attack on al-Tabin School in Gaza City.
The school – the eighth targeted by Israel in recent weeks – was being used as a shelter by Palestinians who have been displaced by the fighting and devastation across Gaza.
The head of Gaza’s Government Media Office told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army used three bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (907kg) each in its attack.
He said Israel was aware that there were displaced people sheltering inside the school.
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The Israeli military said its air forces struck a “command and control centre” that “served as a hideout for [Palestinian group] Hamas terrorists and commanders”.
Condemnation of the strike on has been widespread. Tor Wennesland, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, joined the chorus overnight.
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“Every day civilians continue to bear the brunt of this conflict amidst horror, displacement and endless suffering. The cost in lives of this war is evident with every passing day as we have witnessed yet another devastating strike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians, with dozens of fatalities,” he said in a statement.
Noting ongoing efforts to hammer out a ceasefire deal, the statement closed by insisting that “an end to this nightmare is long overdue”.
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Tens of thousands of people left their homes and shelters overnight, heading west towards al-Mawasi and north towards Deir el-Balah, places already overcrowded with hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
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Maha Freih told Al Jazeera it was the eighth time she had been displaced since the war on Gaza began in October.
“It’s only been a week since I came back home to rebuild it. But I don’t think I’ll ever find my house again,” she said.
“We are being subjected to dreadfully wrong humiliation and suffering. We don’t know where to go. There is no safe place in the whole of the Gaza Strip. Whoever dares to say there is a safe zone is a liar.”
Hani al-Fajm, another displaced Palestinian, said it was the third time he was being displaced in a short period of time, and the sixth since the war began.
“We had just been back home for five days when we were suddenly told to leave again,” he said.
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Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced from their homes, according to the UN, while the besieged enclave has largely been reduced to rubble.
Both UN and Palestinian officials say there are no safe areas in the Strip, as areas previously designated as humanitarian zones have been bombed several times by Israeli forces.
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing nearly 1,200 people, and taking roughly 250 others captive. About 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, while many others are believed to be under the rubble of the devastated enclave.