Shaaban Bilal, Al-Ittihad (Gaza, Cairo)
The Israeli army called on the residents of three towns in northern Gaza to evacuate their homes, noting that its forces are carrying out intensive military operations in those areas.
Coinciding with the first anniversary of the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, army spokesman Avichai Adraee, in a post on the “X” platform, issued a warning to the residents of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahia.
Adraee said: “You must evacuate these areas immediately towards the new area in Al-Mawasi in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.”
He continued: “Salah al-Din Street is available to you as a humanitarian transport hub towards the southern Gaza Strip area.”
Medics said that at least 52 Palestinians were killed after Israel intensified its air and ground attack on Gaza, while Hamas announced the launch of a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv, which led to sirens sounding in central Israel.
Later, the Israeli army ordered residents in some eastern neighborhoods in the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate their homes, and many families began loading their belongings onto carts.
Palestinian factions in Gaza announced violent clashes with Israeli forces in the Jabalia camp, north of the Strip.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the Israeli military campaign on the Gaza Strip, which began a year ago, claimed the lives of approximately 42,000 Palestinians, led to the displacement of almost all of its population of 2.3 million people, and caused a food and health crisis.
The ministry said that the Israeli army targeted 65 percent of health institutions in the Gaza Strip, and deliberately deprived thousands of patients of receiving medical care over the course of a full year of war.
A statement issued by the ministry said: “Approximately 65% of health institutions were targeted, and the rest are operating partially and with an occupancy rate of 300%, especially intensive care departments and nurseries.”
According to the statement, 12,000 cancer patients cannot receive basic treatments, not even painkillers, in addition to 50,000 pregnant women who are deprived of health services and maternity care.
In turn, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics announced that 384,000 housing units were damaged as a result of the continuous Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
In a related context, the spokeswoman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, Enas Hamdan, described the humanitarian situation in the Strip as “very catastrophic,” especially at the health and environmental levels, and the entry of relief supplies.
Hamdan said in a statement to Al-Ittihad that, with the continuation of military operations and attacks, matters have worsened significantly, as hospitals suffer from an acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies due to restrictions imposed on the entry of humanitarian aid.
She continued, “Families in Gaza are living under tremendous pressure, and that about 1.9 million people have been displaced from their homes and between regions several times as a result of attacks and the destruction of infrastructure. The population is crowded in the central areas of the Gaza Strip, specifically towards the west and in the Al-Mawasi area.”
She stressed that the shelter centers no longer accommodate families, and most of them live in worn-out tents, as winter approaches.
The UNRWA spokeswoman explained that the Gaza Strip needs a ceasefire more than ever under these circumstances, and that it is the only way to stop the loss of life and end human suffering.
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