GAZA CITY, Palestine 

The Israeli army on Thursday demanded that Palestinians evacuate large areas in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, in preparation for a military offensive. 

“To everyone in the areas of Bani Suheila and the neighborhoods: Sheikh Nasser, Barbakh, Al-Satar, Ma'an, the city center, al-Mahattah, and al-Kateebah, for your safety, evacuate immediately and move to the humanitarian area,” Avichay Adraee, the army spokesperson, said on X.

Thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians on Wednesday began evacuating their areas in eastern Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip after new Israeli evacuation orders, according to witnesses.

Last Friday, the Israeli army issued the latest evacuation orders for large areas north of Khan Younis, threatening to start a “military operation there.”

These messages usually precede violent attacks by the Israeli army or ground incursions into the Gaza Strip.

According to UN data, nine out of every 10 people residing in Gaza have been forced to flee due to Israeli attacks.

On Wednesday, the Gaza media office announced that the Israeli army is crowding about 1.7 million displaced Palestinians into an area that is no more than one-tenth the size of the Gaza Strip.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last Oct. 7 by Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has resulted in nearly 40,300 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and more than 93,100 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul