Israel-Hamas war: IDF moves deeper into Gaza as outcry grows over the crisis
Israel is mobilising troops and warning civilians to flee the south despite the heads of 20 international aid agencies and the UN warning millions have nowhere safe to go
Israel has begun warning civilians to evacuate southern Gaza’s Khan Younis as troops prepare to mobilise deeper into the Palestinian territory, despite 20 international aid agencies saying millions have nowhere safe to go.
Israel’s defence minister Yoav Gallant said the “next stage has begun” and that the ground operation will “include both the north and south”.
However, there are fears mounting over the fate of southern Gaza, which was previously deemed “safe” by Israel despite repeatedly bombarding it.
There are already 1.6 million Palestinians internally displaced while trying to escape Israel’s bombardment and ground assault. Tens of thousands have fled south after they were forced to leave their homes in the north and central areas of the enclave.
The heads of 20 international aid agencies and the UN have said the south was already too crowded since the first northern eviction notices and with the border with Egypt closed, millions of displaced people had literally nowhere to go.
“Under the prevalent conditions, proposals to unilaterally create “safe zones” in Gaza risk creating harm for civilians, including large-scale loss of life, and must be rejected,” the heads of the aid organisations including Save the Children said in a joint communique.
“Without the right conditions, concentrating civilians in such zones in the context of active hostilities can raise the risk of attack and additional harm.”
At least 11,470 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7, but the death toll has not been updated for days due to the collapse of the enclave’s health system, which collected data.