Late on Sunday, Israel issued fresh evacuation orders for Deir Al Balah in the central Gaza Strip, compelling additional families to leave as forces planned to take action against the militant group Hamas and other entities in the region.
In the past few days, Israel has issued numerous evacuation orders throughout Gaza, the highest number since the start of the 10-month conflict, drawing criticism from Palestinians, the United Nations, and aid officials due to the shrinking of humanitarian zones and the lack of safe areas. The Deir Al Balah municipality reports that Israeli evacuation orders have so far displaced 250,000 individuals.
Israeli military operations resulted in the death of at least seven Palestinians on Monday, according to medics. Two fatalities occurred in Deir Al Balah, where approximately one million people were seeking refuge, two at a school in the Al Nuseirat camp, and three in the southern city of Rafah near the Egyptian border.
The new evacuation orders led many families and patients to depart from Al Aqsa Hospital, the primary healthcare facility in Deir Al Balah, where hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced individuals had sought shelter due to fears of aerial attacks. The hospital is situated near the area subject to the evacuation notice.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) stated on Sunday night that an explosion about 250 meters from the MSF-supported Al Aqsa Hospital caused panic. "Consequently, MSF is contemplating suspending wound care temporarily while continuing to provide life-saving treatments," the statement read. According to Gaza's health ministry, from around 650 patients, only 100 remain, with seven in the intensive care unit.
Diplomatic efforts have reached a stalemate, with Sawasn Abu Afesh recounting her family's 11th displacement. "I left half of my children near my belongings and am now with my younger ones and my daughter. Only God can help us... I have no money for transportation; I will walk to area 17 where my family is staying. I took some of my kids, but three are left behind. No idea where," she explained.
The conflict shows no signs of resolution as diplomatic efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have yet to bridge the divide between Israel and Hamas, with both sides blaming each other for the lack of progress. Neither Hamas nor Israel accepted the compromises proposed by mediators during talks in Cairo on Sunday, according to two Egyptian security sources.
A senior US official characterized the discussions as "constructive," noting that all parties aimed to achieve "a final and enforceable agreement." Hamas official Osama Hamdan rejected new conditions imposed by Israel during the talks, which Hamas did not attend, and stated that US comments regarding an imminent ceasefire were misleading and politically motivated.
Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to Gaza's health ministry. The densely populated area has been devastated, and most of its 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced multiple times, facing severe shortages of food and medicine, according to humanitarian organizations.
The war was initiated by Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel, which according to Israeli counts, resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages.
