Israel issues new evacuation orders in Gaza, 12 people dead

Israeli military strikes killed at least 12 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, most of them in the town of Beit Lahiya on the northern edge, medics said, as the army issued new evacuation orders in the south of the tiny enclave.

Medics said eight people had been killed in a series of strikes in Beit Lahiya — one of two towns where the army has been operating since October — while four others were killed elsewhere in Gaza City.

The Israeli army issued evacuation orders to residents in northern districts of Khan Younis, a town in the south of the Gaza Strip, citing the firing of rockets by militants from those areas. The orders prompted the hurried exodus of families, mostly before dawn, in a westerly direction.

“For your own safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” the army said in its statement posted on X.

Palestinian and UN officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave. Most of Gaza's 2.3-million people have been internally displaced, some as many as 10 times since the war began last year.

Israel launched its campaign in the densely populated Palestinian enclave after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on October 7 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel's military campaign has killed more than 44,400 Palestinians, injured many others, and reduced much of the enclave to rubble.

Reuters