ANKARA

The Israeli army on Saturday ordered Palestinians in several areas in the central Gaza Strip to evacuate in preparation for a possible military operation.

In a statement, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee ordered residents of the neighborhoods of Al-Masdar and Al-Maghazi, east of the city of Deir Al-Balah, and also a group around Salah Al-Din Street to “evacuate the areas immediately” and move to what he called the “humanitarian area.”

He added that the army will "forcefully operate" against Palestinian groups in the area.

Several times during the 10-month war on Gaza, Israel had ordered mass evacuations to “safe areas.”

Human rights groups and international observers decried the inhumanity of the orders and the mass suffering caused as a result. In addition, Palestinians often found themselves attacked by Israel en route to such “safe areas” as well as after they reached such zones.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,300 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,300 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An 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 one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi