The military urged residents of the southwestern part of Deir al-Balah to immediately move south to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation order for Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday for the first time since the start of the war sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre.
“The IDF continues to operate with great force to destroy enemy capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area, expanding its activities to an area where it has not previously operated,” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, stated in an X post on Sunday morning.
Adraee in the notice urged residents of the southwestern part of Deir al-Balah to immediately move south to the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. The IDF is continuing to press ahead with its ground operations across Gaza as part of “Gideon’s Chariots,” a campaign with the stated goal of dismantling Hamas’s remaining military capabilities, taking control of key areas in Gaza and securing the release of 50 remaining hostages. (Read more)