The Israeli military has commanded that thousands of Palestinians evacuate certain areas in northern Gaza due to continuous air strikes that have already taken the lives of at least 115 individuals within the territory. Following the intense attacks in the Beit Lahiya region of northern Gaza, Palestinians were seen leaving their homes carrying only their essential belongings.
As reported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), over 19,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Thursday afternoon, many of whom did not bring any belongings other than the clothes they were wearing. The IOM has emphasized that there is no safe place left in Gaza.
It has been noted that almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced at some point throughout the ongoing conflict, with many individuals being forced to flee on multiple occasions. Israel has been issuing more frequent forced displacement orders as it intensifies its assault on the enclave.
On Saturday, the Israeli military released a statement in Arabic announcing the beginning of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots”, which they describe as an expansion of their military operations in the Gaza Strip. Their goal is to achieve all the objectives of the war, including the release of abducted individuals and the defeat of Hamas.
In a separate statement in English, the army announced that they are mobilizing troops to gain operational control over certain areas of the Gaza Strip.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israel has been responsible for the deaths of at least 115 Palestinians since dawn on Friday as they continue to bomb the enclave, in addition to the over 100 killed in similar attacks on Thursday. Since October 2024, Israel has killed at least 53,119 Palestinians and injured 120,214 others. The Government Media Office has estimated the death toll to be over 61,700, including those presumed dead after being trapped under the rubble.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/5/17/thousands-of-palestinians-flee-north-gaza-amid-intensified-israeli-attacks?traffic_source=rss
