Palestinians told to evacuate more of Gaza, as Israel expands military takeover

• Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been told to evacuate parts of Gaza once again, as the IDF expands its military takeover of the territory and establishes new “security zones.” Meanwhile, the UN has issued several reports in recent days condemning Israel’s actions and warning that the remaining space available to Palestinians in Gaza is “unsafe and barely livable.”
• The IDF assumed control of an area between Rafah and Khan Younis known as the Morag Corridor on Saturday, after Hamas launched three projectiles from there.
• Though the IDF says that they are issuing evacuation orders to keep Gazans from becoming “human shields” used by Hamas, a UN analysis found that 36 Israeli airstrikes since March 18 have killed “only women and children.”

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Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been told to evacuate parts of Gaza once again, as Israel Defense Forces (IDF) assume control of a new “security zone” in the territory’s south, marking the beginning of a “vigorous” military expansion. Meanwhile, the United Nations has issued several reports in recent days condemning Israel’s increasing evacuation orders and warning that the remaining space is “unsafe and barely livable.”

The move comes after Israel announced Wednesday, April 2, that it intends to ramp up military operations in Gaza.

IDF assumes control of Morag Corridor after Hamas launches 3 projectiles

Following the IDF’s takeover on Saturday, April 12, of the Morag Corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “IDF activity will soon expand vigorously to additional locations throughout most of Gaza,” warning residents that they have to evacuate. Rafah and its surrounding area, where some 200,000 Palestinians lived before the war, is now effectively cut off from the rest of Gaza.

“Soon, IDF operations will intensify and expand to other areas throughout most of Gaza, and you will need to evacuate the combat zones,” Katz said in a direct address to Palestinians living in the region. Rafah makes up about one-fifth of Gaza’s territory.

The IDF issued its evacuation orders and expanded the security zone after three projectiles, all of which were intercepted, were fired from southern Gaza. Hamas claimed responsibility for launching the projectiles.

While Israel is attempting to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining 59 hostages, the militant group said their fate is “uncertain” as Israel continues to expand its offensive, arguing that the IDF is “killing defenseless civilians.” Twenty-four of the 59 hostages are still believed to be alive.

UN condemns Israel’s increasing evacuation orders

On Friday, April 11, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner released a report stating that the “The increasing issuance by Israeli Forces of ‘evacuation orders’ – which are, in effect, displacement orders – have resulted in the forcible transfer of Palestinians in Gaza into ever shrinking spaces where they have little or no access to life-saving services, including water, food and shelter, and where they continue to be subject to attacks.”

Meanwhile, the IDF also issued evacuation orders for the city of Beit Hanoun and the Netzarim Corridor in anticipation of an expanded military takeover. Israel claims it is telling civilians to evacuate areas, lest they be used as “human shields” by Hamas. However, a recent UN analysis found that in 36 Israeli airstrikes launched since the breakdown of a ceasefire agreement on March 18, “only women and children” were killed, while hundreds more airstrikes have hit residential buildings.

During a press briefing Friday, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that Israel’s newest evacuation orders “[leave] Palestinians with less than a third of Gaza’s area to live in – and that remaining space is fragmented, it’s unsafe and it’s barely livable following 18 months of hostilities.”

Israel has been at war with Hamas since the militant group launched an attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that saw roughly 1,200 Israelis killed and another 250 taken hostage. Since then, Palestinian deaths in Gaza have topped 50,000.

In late March, Hamas said it was working with Egyptian mediators to negotiate a new ceasefire agreement that calls for the release of five living Israeli hostages.