December 4, 2023
The Israeli
army’s assault is pushing further into the south of Gaza, leaving Palestinians
little chance of safety.
Smoke rises at the site of a house destroyed in an Israeli attack in
Khan Younis, in southern Gaza [Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters]
Israel has
ordered Palestinians to evacuate several more areas as it widens its
bombardment of the Gaza Strip, killing hundreds.
The Israeli
military declared on Monday via the social media site X that it was defining
“safe areas” for Gaza civilians to minimise harm to them. However, hundreds
more Palestinians have been killed since the onslaught resumed on Friday, and
it is unclear where civilians might seek safety.
Al Jazeera
journalists on the ground say it is difficult to heed the orders in real time,
with nowhere safe remaining in the enclave.
Israel published
a map on Friday, dividing Gaza into “evacuation zones” and asking people to
follow their announcements for their safety. However, the maps, which include
nearly 2,500 grids, have confused many, while unreliable internet and
electricity make keeping updated a challenge.
On Monday, an
update with three arrows pointing south was issued. The instruction came the
day after the Israeli military said it had expanded its ground operation to all
of Gaza, targeting “Hamas centres in all” of the enclave.
No safe place
The renewed
bombardment follows the end on Friday of the seven-day pause in the fighting
between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, which had allowed an exchange of
about 105 Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas for 240 Palestinian
prisoners.
More than 15,500
people have been killed, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, in nearly two
months of warfare that broke out after a Hamas cross-border raid on southern
Israel on October 7 in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and about 240 taken
hostage.
Intense air
raids overnight killed more than 100 Palestinians, according to the Hamas
authorities. That raises the death toll in Gaza since Saturday to more than
800.
Israel has also
stepped up attacks on the city of Khan Younis in the south, which was
previously designated as a safe area, leading thousands of displaced
Palestinians to flee to the city.
“This comes as
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled their homes and have been
displaced,” said Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut, reporting from occupied East
Jerusalem.
“While the
Israelis are chalking up battle plans for the southern part of the Gaza Strip,
the reality is that there is no safe place in Gaza at the end of day 58 of this
war.
“It is worth
noting that the Israeli military has not shown huge military achievements or
accomplishments, but rather what we have seen is a dire humanitarian
catastrophe that has unfolded inside of the Gaza Strip.”
West Bank raids
Israeli security
forces also continued their raids in the occupied West Bank overnight and early
on Monday morning.
They targeted
the cities and towns of Ramallah, Jenin, Silwad, Jaffna, Jalazoun, Qalqilya and
Hebron, arresting dozens of people, according to the Palestinian Wafa news
agency.
Palestinian
officials told Al Jazeera that at least two Palestinians were killed in the
morning during an Israeli army raid in Qalqilya in the north.
Israeli army
radio confirmed that two “gunmen” were killed and one wounded following a raid
in the city.
Local sources
told Al Jazeera that both bodies were taken away by the Israeli forces.
Reporting from
Hebron, Hoda Abdel-Hamid said it is a common practice and that Israeli
authorities are holding the bodies of 25 Palestinians killed in raids since
October 7.
More than 3,500
people have been arrested, she added, and the majority are being held without
charges.
A total of 256
Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, including six
prisoners who died in Israeli custody.
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