Healthcare Facilities, Aid Sites Targeted as Evacuation Zones Expand
The United Nations reported on Wednesday that more than 680,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced across the Gaza Strip over the past three months, as Israeli military operations continue to escalate.
Citing data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that a fresh displacement order was issued by Israeli authorities on Tuesday, affecting hundreds of families in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.
Dujarric noted that five primary healthcare centres and three medical points now lie within 1,000 metres of the newly designated evacuation zones. According to OCHA, the newly expanded evacuation area spans an additional three square kilometres, pushing the total area under displacement orders or falling within Israeli militarised zones to over 82% of Gaza.
The pace of displacement has intensified, with nearly 250,000 people forced to flee their homes in the past month alone, the UN said.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 55,600 Palestinians—most of them women and children.
In response to the conflict, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its military actions in Gaza.
Aid Sites Under Fire Amid Growing Crisis
Amid worsening humanitarian conditions, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least 33 people were killed by Israeli fire on June 18, including 11 civilians who were waiting in line for humanitarian aid.
Spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP that over 100 others were injured in the attack on a food distribution point in central Gaza.
The Israeli military acknowledged firing warning shots at what it described as “a group of suspicious individuals” but claimed it had no knowledge of any casualties.
The incident occurred as food, fuel, and water shortages continue to plague the region due to Israel’s ongoing blockade, which has remained largely in place since March.
On the same day, Israeli airstrikes killed 19 more people in three separate attacks targeting homes and a tent shelter housing displaced persons, according to Gaza’s civil defence.
Bassal also confirmed that three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike northeast of Gaza City.
AFP noted that casualty figures could not be independently verified due to media access restrictions and the volatile security situation.
These incidents followed another deadly strike near an aid centre in Khan Younis on Tuesday, where at least 53 people were reported killed.
