Israeli army calls for new evacuations in Gaza as conflict rages on
Displaced Palestinians make their way as they flee Hamad City following an Israeli evacuation order, Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Palestine, Aug. 11, 2024. (Reuters Photo)


The Israeli military on Friday ordered a new evacuation of southern and central Gaza areas previously designated as humanitarian safe zones, claiming they had been used by Hamas as bases for launching mortars and rockets at Israel.

It said warning flyers and text messages had been sent to areas north of the southern city of Khan Younis and in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah, where tens of thousands of people have sought shelter from fighting in other parts of Gaza.

Earlier, the military said it had struck an area in Khan Younis from which rockets were fired toward the community of Kissufim on Thursday.

The latest evacuation warnings came as negotiators in Doha were set to meet for a second day of talks aimed at reaching a deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and bring Israeli and foreign hostages home.

Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced multiple times since the start of the Israeli campaign in Gaza, launched following the Oct. 7 Hamas' incursion on southern Israel.

Even in areas designated as humanitarian safe zones, there have been regular reports of casualties from Israeli strikes.