Israeli troops and tanks have begun a ground operation against Hamas militants in southern Gaza after seizing control and destroying much of the northern part of the enclave.
Palestinians evacuate amid fighting in Gaza. They could die at any moment. Photo: CNN
At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Israel to avoid further actions that could worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza and spare civilians from further suffering.
“For those ordered to evacuate, there is nowhere safe to go and little chance of survival,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
The US has also repeatedly called on the country to do more to protect civilians and said Israel's offensive in southern Gaza should not be a repeat of the "huge" number of civilian deaths.
Gaza health officials say about 900 people have been killed in Israeli air strikes since the ceasefire ended last Friday.
On Monday, top US officials said it was too early to judge whether Israel was following US advice, although a State Department spokesman called some aspects of the offensive in southern Gaza an “improvement”.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington expected Israel to avoid attacking areas designated as "no-strike" zones in Gaza.
Early Monday morning, Israel ordered Palestinians to leave part of Gaza's main southern city, Khan Younis. But residents said the areas they were told to go to were also burning.
Israel has released a map showing the new target areas and warning civilians to evacuate (the colors in the image show areas that Israel has advised people to leave in stages). Source: Israeli Defense Ministry. Graphic: CNN
The Israeli military posted a map on social media platform X, with about a quarter of Khan Younis marked in yellow (or red) as territory that required immediate evacuation. Three arrows pointed south and west, telling people to head toward the Mediterranean coast and toward Rafah, a large town near the Egyptian border.
Desperate Gazans in Khan Younis packed up and headed toward Rafah. Most walked, passing the ruined buildings in silence.
However, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza (UNRWA), Thomas White, said Rafah residents themselves were being forced to flee. "People are begging for advice on where they can find safety. We have nothing to tell them," he told X.
In northern Gaza, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said at least 50 people were killed in an Israeli air strike on two schools sheltering displaced people in Gaza City. An Israeli military spokesman said they were looking into the report.
An Israeli plane fires a missile at the Gaza Strip. Photo: AP
Gaza health officials say at least 15,899 Palestinians, 70% of them women or under 18, have now been killed in eight weeks of fighting. Thousands more are missing and feared buried in the rubble.
Israel launched an offensive to destroy Hamas in retaliation for a cross-border attack on October 7 by Hamas gunmen that left 1,200 people dead and 240 hostages taken, in what is considered the bloodiest day in Israel's 75-year history.
More than 100 hostages were freed during the seven-day ceasefire. Seven civilians and an army colonel died in captivity, leaving 137 hostages still being held in Gaza, Israeli authorities said.
Bui Huy (according to Reuters, AP, CNN)
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