Palestinians leaving central Gaza
About 150,000 Palestinians are being forced to flee central Gaza, according to the United Nations, as Israeli forces move closer to refugee camps in the area.
Witnesses and the armed wing of Hamas said that tanks had arrived on the eastern edges of the Burij camp.
The Israeli military has now expanded the scope of its ground operation to focus on Bureij as well as the nearby Nussirat and Maghazi camps.
Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed dozens of people on Thursday, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The war began when Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7. It resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 240 others being taken hostage.
The past 11 weeks of conflict have killed more than 21,300 people in Gaza, mostly children and women, the health ministry reports.
The IDF has asked people to leave a specific area in central Gaza, including Bureij and Nussirat camps. Approximately 90,000 residents of these areas and 61,000 displaced persons have been advised to relocate southward to the city of Deir al-Balah.
On Thursday, the United Nations cautioned that the situation is challenging because Deir al-Balah is already filled with several million displaced people, leaving Palestinians fleeing with no alternative shelter.
Omar, who is 60 years old, shared that he had to flee Burridge, and he is not alone – at least 35 members of his family had to flee with him.
“This moment has come, a moment I hoped would never come, but it seems we have no choice but to go,” he told Reuters by phone. “Because of this terrible Israeli war, we are currently living in a tent in Deir al-Balah.”
Increasing numbers of people are being forced to move to the small southern Gaza city of Rafah, according to Tom White, Gaza director of the UN relief agency UNRWA. The result is that more people live on a limited area of land that cannot adequately support them.
On Thursday night, Gaza’s health ministry said 20 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Rafah. The targeted building was said to be sheltering displaced civilians.
On Thursday morning, a ministry spokesman said 50 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the northern city of Beit Lahiya and Maghazi in the southern city of Khan Yunis.
The deadliest incident occurred in Beit Lahiya, where Palestinian media said 30 people were killed when a group of four residential buildings was demolished.
Bassel Khair al-Din, a local TV journalist, informed the Associated Press that 12 members of his family were buried under the debris of a building in a tragic incident, and are believed to have lost their lives. Additionally, his nine neighbors are currently unaccounted for.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that 10 people were killed when Israeli shelling hit an apartment near al-Amal hospital in Khan Yunis. This occurred a day after a comparable incident in front of the facility, which reportedly resulted in 31 casualties.
The organization condemned the increased targeting of the area around the hospital under its management. It urged the international community to take measures to ensure the security of the facility.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had no immediate comment, but Khan Younis has been the focal point of their ground offensive since the collapse of a week-long ceasefire late last month.
On Wednesday, the IDF’s chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, told reporters that the city had been identified as a “primary Hamas terrorist center.” He said Israeli forces are actively engaged in operations there and are using innovative warfare methods both above and below ground.
He also noted that military forces were engaged in combat in the Burijs area for the third consecutive day. He emphasized their efforts in “neutralizing numerous terrorists and destroying terrorist infrastructure”.
Reuters news agency reported that intense clashes continued on Thursday, with Israeli tanks advancing on the densely populated Burij camp from the north and east. In a video shared by Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, claimed its fighters were targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the countryside east of the camp.
In another development, the IDF expressed regret for the unintentional damage caused to civilians not involved in the conflict. The acknowledgment follows an airstrike in Maghazi on Sunday, which Gaza’s health ministry confirmed, resulting in the unfortunate loss of at least 70 people.
The warplanes targeted two locations where Hamas terrorists were located. Additionally, nearby buildings were inadvertently affected during the attacks, potentially harming civilians not involved in the conflict.
In Israel, a march of thousands of teenagers turned out to urge a new deal to secure the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. Many participants were from communities.
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