Israel orders mass evacuations in Khan Younis as bombardment intensifies

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army on Friday ordered residents in several neighborhoods of Khan Younis, southern Gaza, to evacuate immediately ahead of an “imminent military assault.”

Avichay Adraee, an Israeli army spokesperson, issued the warning urging residents in blocks 107 through 112 and the eastern section of block 88 in Khan Younis to move westward toward the already overcrowded al-Mawasi area.

Adraee warned against returning to “dangerous combat zones,” and that the army “will operate with full force in the area,” claiming that all locations used to launch rockets at Israel would be targeted.

A map attached to the warning showed the evacuation zones in red, indicating a significant expansion of what Israel refers to as “combat zones.”

The growing footprint of these zones continues to shrink the areas available for displaced civilians.

Evacuation orders in Gaza are often followed within moments by heavy bombardment.

In many cases, according to Palestinian residents and aid organizations, the shelling begins before civilians are able to flee.

Rights groups and UN agencies have repeatedly condemned Israel’s repeated targeting of shelter areas, including tents and designated “safe zones.”

Since March 18, the scope of evacuation warnings and designated combat areas has dramatically expanded to cover around 85% of Gaza, according to UN estimates.

Israel has killed more than killing more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023.