Israeli army orders Gaza City residents to evacuate south

By Nour Abu Eisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - The Israeli army on Wednesday ordered all Gaza City residents to evacuate and head towards the central city of Deir al-Balah.

The military dropped leaflets calling on residents to leave Gaza City immediately and head south towards Zawaida and Deir al-Balah.

“Gaza City will be a dangerous combat zone,” the leaflets warn.

The flyers provide instructions on safe routes to evacuate Gaza City, via the Salah a-Din road or the coastal road.

Earlier this week, the army ordered Palestinian residents in western neighborhoods of Gaza City to leave and head towards Deir al-Balah.

Although the army designated Deir al-Balah and Zawaida as safe zones, the army continued to pound these areas, causing many fatalities among Palestinians.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

More than 38,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 88,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara