Residents of Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza, have been instructed to evacuate their homes by the Israeli military, raising concerns about the intensification of the assault on the region. Thousands of leaflets were dropped by Israeli aircraft overnight and early Thursday, urging residents to move farther south. This comes after Israel ordered the evacuation of northern Gaza, leading to an influx of tens of thousands of people seeking shelter in Khan Younis and other towns in the area.
The leaflets emphasized the need for immediate evacuation to known shelters, warning that anyone near terrorists or their facilities would be at risk. It is unclear where residents in eastern Khan Younis are expected to flee, as Israel continues its bombardment in previously designated safe areas in the south. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has stated that no part of Gaza can be considered safe at the moment.
As Israeli forces carry out their ground assault in northern Gaza, aid organizations have raised concerns about a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the densely populated south. The ongoing bombardment and siege severely restrict supplies of essential resources such as food, water, fuel, and electricity. Aid workers warn that outbreaks of infectious diseases and extreme hunger are becoming increasingly likely.
The displacement of a significant portion of Gaza’s population, approximately 70% according to the UN, has created fears that those affected may not be allowed to return home. Israel has justified its assault as an effort to eliminate Hamas, the armed Palestinian group responsible for launching deadly attacks on southern Israel. However, the scale of the Israeli response, which has resulted in the deaths of over 11,470 people, including a significant number of children, has drawn international condemnation.
In addition to the evacuation orders, Israeli forces have also raided the al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility. The situation at the hospital has sparked global concern, with hundreds of patients and displaced civilians trapped inside without vital supplies such as fuel and oxygen. Medics have reported the deaths of numerous patients, including three newborns in incubators that lost power. Israel claims the hospital is being used as a Hamas command center but has yet to provide substantial evidence to support this assertion.
Human Rights Watch has criticized Israel for failing to provide sufficient evidence to justify revoking the hospital’s protected status under international laws of war. The organization emphasizes that hospitals only lose their protected status if harmful acts are proven to have been carried out from the premises. As of now, the Israeli government has not provided any evidence to support its claims, raising concerns about the targeting of crucial medical facilities.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with a growing number of displaced civilians, limited access to essential resources, and ongoing military operations. The international community continues to call for an end to the violence and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
