Israel orders evacuation of part of Gaza humanitarian zone

DEIR-EL-BALAH: The Israeli military ordered the evacuation Monday of part of an area in the Gaza Strip it has designated a humanitarian zone, saying it is planning an operation against Hamas militants there.

Heeding the call, thousands of Palestinians, many carrying backpacks and accompanied by children, walked down dusty roads under the scorching summer sun, navigating dilapidated cars filled with belongings tied on top. Many Palestinians have been uprooted multiple times in search of safety during Israeli's air and ground campaign.

“We do not know where we are walking,” said Kholoud Al Dadas, as she clutched her children. “This is our seventh or eighth time we have been displaced. While we were sleeping in our homes, they started shooting at us, bombing from everywhere.” Moments later, as she continued on her way, Al Dadas collapsed in exhaustion and people rushed to her aid.

The Israeli military said it is planning to begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel. The area includes the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, which is located in the southern Gaza Strip.

Earlier this month, Israel said it estimates at least 1.8 million Palestinians are now in the humanitarian zone it declared covering a stretch of about 14 kilometres (8.6 miles) along the Mediterranean. Much of that area is now blanketed with tent camps that lack sanitation and medical facilities and have limited access to aid, UN and humanitarian groups say. Families live in the midst of mountains of trash and streams contaminated by sewage.

The announcement came during delicate negotiations seeking a cease-fire in Gaza, with US and Israeli officials expressing hope that an agreement is closer than ever. A negotiating team will be sent to continue talks on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. Egypt, Qatar and the United States are continuing to push Israel and Hamas toward a phased cease-fire deal that would stop the fighting and free the hostages.

Netanyahu left Monday morning on a much-anticipated trip to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden, who announced Sunday that he will not seek another term, and address Congress.

Netanyahu said that regardless of who becomes the next U.S. president, “our enemies must know that Israel and the United States stand together tomorrow and always.” He said he will thank Biden for more than 40 years of friendship, while also pushing him for more support on certain issues.

The Israeli military said on Monday that it is continuing to operate in central and southern Gaza. One person was killed and three injured in a strike outside the Al Aqsa hospital in the central city of Deir-Al-Balah. Overnight, at least 15 people, including four women and six children, were killed in strikes in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital officials and a body count by an Associated Press journalist. The Israeli military did not have immediate comment.

The United Nations also accused Israel of targeting a U.N. humanitarian convoy in central Gaza. Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the main U.N. group supporting Palestinians in Gaza, said that on Sunday Israel shot at the convoy near an Israeli military checkpoint, and that five bullets pierced the clearly marked armored U.N. vehicle.

Lazzarini said that the movement of the convoy had been coordinated with Israeli forces. No one was injured, but Lazzarini condemned the military for targeting humanitarian workers. The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 38,900 people, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. The war began with an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages. About 120 remain held, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.

The Israeli military announced the deaths on Monday of two additional Israeli hostages, saying they believe Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, who were kidnapped on Oct. 7, were no longer alive, based on intelligence.

Netanyahu has vowed to wipe out Hamas' military and governing capabilities and secure the return of the remaining hostages. Families of hostages and thousands of other Israelis have held weekly demonstrations to urge the prime minister to reach a cease-fire deal that would bring their loved ones home.

The already precarious humanitarian conditions inside besieged Gaza have worsened with the discovery of the polio virus as water and sanitation services have deteriorated for the territory's 2.3 million people, most of them displaced. Traces of the virus were found in sewage samples in Gaza. The World Health Organization has said no one has been treated for symptoms caused by the disease.

Israel's military said soldiers would be vaccinated and it would work with organizations to bring in vaccines for Palestinians.

Also Monday, Israeli police said a Canadian citizen was killed after threatening Israeli security forces with a knife near the Gaza border.

The Israeli military said the man drove to the entrance of an Israeli town close to the border, left his vehicle and approached the security forces with a knife. The forces opened fire and killed the man. There were no other injuries.

The attack took place at the entrance to the Israeli town of Netiv HaAsara, which is just 300 meters (yards) north of the Gaza border. On Oct. 7, Netiv HaAsara was attacked and 20 residents were killed after gunmen passed over the concrete border wall using paragliders, according to Israeli military officials.

Israel has experienced a wave of stabbing attacks across the country during the nine-month war in Gaza.