On Sunday, Israel’s military intensified its campaign in central Gaza, dropping thousands of leaflets over Deir el-Balah, ordering residents and displaced families to flee to al-Mawasi, an area it claims is a “safe zone” despite repeatedly bombing it.
The military’s Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, posted on X that Israel is expanding operations into previously untouched parts of Deir el-Balah, instructing Palestinians to move south for their safety.
This directive follows Israel’s deadly attacks on Sunday, which killed at least 73 unarmed civilians, mostly aid seekers, in northern Gaza, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian disaster.
The targeted areas in Deir el-Balah are densely packed with displaced families living in tents, rendering Israel’s evacuation order nearly impossible to follow.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reported that Palestinians are refusing to leave, stating, “They have nowhere else to go,” as al-Mawasi is overcrowded and lacks space for more tents.
The United Nations reports that over 80 percent of Gaza’s population faces unrevoked evacuation threats, with many enduring starvation due to Israel’s blockade, which has crippled aid deliveries, leading to the deaths of infants from malnutrition.
As Israel issued its latest evacuation order, indirect ceasefire talks with Hamas in Qatar showed no progress, stalled for months despite international mediation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that expanding military operations will pressure Hamas, yet the war, now in its 22nd month, has displaced most of Gaza’s two million people and killed at least 116 Palestinians on Saturday, many seeking food at aid sites.
Pope Leo XIV condemned Israel’s actions, saying, “I once again ask for an immediate end to the barbarity of the war,” highlighting the indiscriminate violence devastating Gaza.