Israeli Military Issues Order to Evacuate a Portion of the Gaza Strip

Israel EVACUATES Part of GAZA

The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of part of a humanitarian zone in Gaza on Monday, saying it plans to attack Hamas fighters there.

 

Hearing the cry, thousands of Palestinians, many with bags and children, went down dusty roads in the July sun, navigating old automobiles with goods attached to the top. The Israeli air and ground campaign has forced many Palestinians to flee for safety.

 

 

“We do not know where we are walking,” Kholoud Al Dadas remarked, clutching her children. “This is our seventh or eighth displacement. When we were resting at home, they started firing and bombing everywhere.” Al Dadas slumped in weariness as she resumed her journey, and people rushed to help.

 

The Israeli military plans to start an operation against Hamas militants who have hidden in the area and launched rockets toward Israel. The eastern Muwasi humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip is included.

 

Israel estimated at least 1.8 million Palestinians were in its 14-kilometer (8.6-mile) Mediterranean humanitarian zone earlier this month. U.N. and humanitarian groups claim tent camps cover much of the territory, some without sanitation, medical facilities, or aid. Families live beside trash mountains and sewage-contaminated streams.

 

During sensitive Gaza cease-fire discussions, U.S. and Israeli officials expressed hope that an agreement is closer than ever. A negotiating delegation will resume discussions on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced. Egypt, Qatar, and the US are pressuring Israel and Hamas to reach a phased cease-fire to end the conflict and liberate the hostages.

Netanyahu left Monday morning for a much-anticipated trip to the US to meet with President Joe Biden, who announced Sunday that he will not seek another term, and address Congress.

 

 

No matter who becomes president, Netanyahu added, “Our enemies must know that Israel and the United States stand together tomorrow and always.” He said he will thank Biden for 40 years of friendship and ask for additional support in specific areas.

 

The Israeli military said Monday it is still operating in central and southern Gaza. One person was killed and three injured in a strike outside the Al Aqsa hospital in central Deir-Al-Balah. According to medical officials and an Associated Press journalist’s body count, 15 people, including four women and six children, were killed in strikes in Khan Younis overnight. The Israeli military did not respond immediately.

 

Israel was also accused of attacking a UN assistance convoy in central Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, president of UNRWA, the major U.N. body aiding Palestinians in Gaza, said Israel shot at the convoy near an Israeli military crossing on Sunday, piercing the clearly identified armored vehicle.

 

Lazzarini alleges that Israeli forces coordinated the convoy’s movement. No one was hurt, but Lazzarini criticized the military for targeting aid workers. The Israeli military did not respond.