The latest forced evacuation orders come as Israel intensifies its military operation in Gaza after breaking the ceasefire.
Israel has announced new forced evacuation orders for Rafah in southern Gaza as the military plans to expand its renewed assault on the enclave.
The military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, stated on X on Monday morning that the army would return to “fight with great force” in Rafah, one of Gaza’s largest cities, and surrounding areas.
He urged Palestinians to immediately seek shelter in al-Mawasi on the coast. Despite being designated as a “safe zone,” the area has repeatedly come under Israeli fire during the war in Gaza.
Shortly after the evacuation order, Al Jazeera Arabic reported that at least two people were killed in an Israeli attack on a tent housing displaced individuals in the area.
Last week, the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) reported that 142,000 people have been displaced since Israel resumed its war on the enclave on March 18, breaking the fragile January ceasefire.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health has reported that over 900 people have been killed since the bombardment resumed, bringing the total death toll since the start of the war in October 2023 to more than 50,000.
The Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 killed 1,139 people, with around 250 taken captive, sparking the Israeli offensive.
Somber Eid Celebrations
Israeli attacks continued to pound Gaza as Palestinians observed Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
On Sunday, the first day of Eid, at least 64 Palestinians were killed. By Monday morning, the situation remained bleak, with at least nine more people killed in Israeli attacks.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary explained that in Khan Younis, the other major city in southern Gaza, Israeli forces had attacked “at least seven houses of different families.”
“There has also been incessant artillery shelling in central Gaza, including Nuseirat and areas near the Netzarim Corridor,” she said, adding that explosions were heard in Deir el-Balah, where three farmers were killed.
In Beit Hanoon, northern Gaza, children who once reveled in the joy of Eid are now spending the holiday in fear.
“We’re too scared to go near the beach in case the Israelis shell us,” Wissam Nassar told Al Jazeera.
Hussein Alkafarna added: “We feel no joy this Eid. We can’t even get new clothes, let alone escape the constant fear we live in.”
Palestinians inspected the aftermath of an Israeli attack on a house in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]
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