At least 47 Palestinians, including eight children, were reported dead on Monday following attacks in Khan Younis, near the humanitarian zone of Mawasi in Gaza. This incident unfolded just hours after Israel ordered the evacuation of the eastern part of this area to initiate a military operation against the infiltration of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
The Gaza Health Ministry, which is under Hamas control, stated that the Nasser Hospital, the primary facility operating in Khan Younis, received around 120 injured individuals, some in serious condition. Eyewitnesses described continuous and violent bombardments, with many families attempting to flee the eastern part of Khan Younis amidst the chaos.
The Gaza Civil Defense reported that the evacuation order impacts approximately 400,000 individuals in the area. The Palestinian Red Crescent accused Israeli forces of deliberately obstructing the evacuation process, stating that the designated safe zones are not secure. They noted that their ambulances have been denied access to affected regions to assist victims of the Israeli attacks.
In light of the ongoing crisis, the Health Ministry made an urgent appeal for blood donations to help treat the injured arriving at Nasser Hospital. They highlighted a significant shortage of blood units, which poses a serious threat to the lives of patients amid what they labeled massacres by occupying forces against civilians.
Earlier, the Israeli military had mandated the evacuation of areas in the eastern Mawasi humanitarian zone, directing displaced individuals to the western part of Mawasi along the Mediterranean coast. This area is already home to over a million people living in crowded conditions without basic services or sanitation.
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed that the evacuation was based on precise intelligence indicating that Hamas had incorporated terrorist infrastructure in this designated humanitarian area. They stated that rockets had been launched from this region into Israeli territory.
Israel asserted that it had communicated the evacuation order to residents of Gaza through various means, including SMS, phone calls, and Arabic broadcasts in the media, with the aim of minimizing civilian harm and keeping them away from combat zones.
However, there have been previous instances of Israeli attacks on civilian areas considered humanitarian, such as in Rafah and displacement camps in central Gaza. On July 13, Israel specifically targeted the Mawasi humanitarian zone, intending to eliminate Mohamed Deif, the top commander of Hamas’s military wing, the Al Qassam Brigades. While his death has not been confirmed, the attack resulted in the deaths of 90 Gazans and injuries to around 300 others, including his right-hand man, Rafaa Salameh.
The latest evacuation order further restricts the already limited territory in the Mawasi humanitarian zone. This area currently hosts 1.4 million displaced individuals, many of whom had fled from Rafah, a city adjacent to Egypt that was previously considered safe until recent military incursions began in early May.
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