Aid groups have warned that a large-scale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian crisis; Israel declares Muwasi — a makeshift tent camp in southern Gaza — a humanitarian area and urges everyone in Gaza city to leave
Israel’s Army called on Saturday on Palestinians in Gaza City to move to a humanitarian area it designated in the south as it expanded its operations in preparation for seizing the famine-stricken city, including targeting high-rise buildings.
Aid groups have repeatedly warned that a large-scale evacuation of Gaza City would exacerbate the dire humanitarian situation, after the world’s leading authority on food crises declared the city to be gripped by famine.
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in X that the Army declared Muwasi — a makeshift tent camp in southern Gaza Strip — a humanitarian area and urged everyone in the city, which it called a Hamas stronghold and specified as a combat zone, to leave.
The military, in a statement, provided a map showing the area in Khan Younis that the humanitarian area encompasses, which includes the block where Nasser Hospital is located.
The area around the hospital has been considered a red zone, though not the medical facility itself. Last week, Israel struck the hospital, killing 22 people, including Mariam Dagga, a journalist. The hospital was not under evacuation.
UN staying back
The declaration of a so-called “humanitarian zone” in southern Gaza was done by the Israeli authorities unilaterally, and the UN and the wider humanitarian community are not part of that designation, said Olga Cherevko, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In a statement on Saturday, the UN said it is staying in Gaza City to provide aid and warned that the continued offensive will push people into an even deeper catastrophe.
Israel on Saturday issued warnings for two high-rises in Gaza City and the tents around them, saying Hamas had infrastructure inside or near them. It comes a day after after Israel struck another high-rise building in Gaza City, saying Hamas used it for surveillance, without providing evidence.
