ALWAGHT- Two United Nations agencies report that approximately 150,000 people have evacuated the southern city of Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip since Monday, as the Israeli regime intensifies its devastating assault on the besieged territory.
Louise Wateridge from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) stated on Wednesday that Palestinians fled Khan Yunis after Israel issued a new evacuation order.
"Over 80% of the Gaza Strip is now under evacuation orders or designated as no-go zones by the Israeli military," Wateridge reported.
She noted that people are relocating to Dayr al-Balah and western Khan Yunis, areas that are already “extremely overcrowded.”
“These regions have limited shelters and services, and they are struggling to accommodate the people currently there,” Wateridge added.
In a separate statement, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that, based on ground monitoring of population movements, around 150,000 people have fled Khan Yunis. The agency also noted that many individuals, including those with reduced mobility and their caregivers, are “trapped in the evacuation area.”
On Monday, the Israeli military issued an evacuation order for the eastern parts of Khan Yunis.
Residents of Gaza’s second-largest city were instructed to urgently relocate to an unspecified area. Earlier evacuation orders had directed Palestinians to the Mawasi area, but this camp has been repeatedly targeted in attacks.
Such evacuation orders typically indicate the imminent launch of ground assaults by the Israeli military.
The Israeli regime began its brutal campaign against Gaza on October 7 of the previous year, following a significant operation by Palestinian resistance groups in response to increased Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
Since the onset of this aggression, the Israeli regime has committed war crimes in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 39,000 Palestinians—primarily women and children—and injuring over 90,000 others.
