Gaza: Israel Orders Displacement Of Palestinians After Deadly Bombing Kills Hundreds (X image @mhdksafa)
After the deadly bombing that killed more than 300, Israel threatened the residents of several areas in Gaza to “evacuate immediately.” The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) issued the forced evacuation orders on Tuesday, targeting the neighbourhoods of Beit Hanoon, Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Jadida, as per media reports.
“The IDF [Israeli army] has launched a massive offensive against terrorist organisations. These designated areas are considered dangerous combat zones!” said the IOF’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on X. He said that the civilians from the areas targeted should get to evacuate to the west of Gaza City or to Khan Younis.
Also Read: Over 300 Palestinians Killed Across Gaza In Israel’s Largest Strike Since Ceasefire
Responding to the attack, Hamas said that the Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu had chosen to “overturn” a fragile ceasefire agreed upon by the two parties. The ceasefire was reached on January 19. The first phase ended on March 1.
Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq said in a statement that “Netanyahu’s decision to resume war” was “a decision to sacrifice the occupation’s prisoners and impose a death sentence on them,” as quoted by media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that the operation was open-ended and expected to expand.
“From now on, Israel will act against Hamas with increasing military force,” it said, adding that the operation was ordered after “Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators”.
The bombing has called an end to the relative calmness in the war-battered, besieged enclave, 80 percent of which is reduced to ashes in Israel’s relentless bombing campaign. Since the first day of Ramadan, the holy month of Muslims, Israel has cut off the entry of much-needed aid into the Strip. Flowing of aid to Gaza was one of the deals in the ceasefire agreement.
According to Al Jazeera‘s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, Israel’s attacks had targeted residential buildings, schools and public facilities turned into evacuation centres, which had effectively been turned into “death traps.”
“Let’s not forget that many Palestinians are still staying in evacuation centres because their homes are either destroyed or located in an area that the Israeli military is still occupying,” stated Mahmoud.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “the Trump administration and the White House” had been consulted by Israel on the attacks. She said, “As President Trump has made it clear, Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, and all those who seek to terrorise not just Israel but also the United States of America will see a price to pay – all hell will break loose.”
The families of Israeli hostages said that the Israeli government decided to give up on the hostages. Taking to X, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents the families of captives held in Gaza, said, “We are shocked, angry, and terrified by the deliberate dismantling of the process to return our loved ones from the terrible captivity of Hamas.” It asked the government why it “backed out of the ceasefire agreement” with Hamas.
(With inputs from agencies)
