Palestinians forced to leave shelters in Beit Hanoun traverse the main Salaheddine road to reach Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip after receiving evacuation orders from the Israeli army on November 12, 2024. — AFP
The Israeli military issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in the eastern suburb of Gaza City, triggering another wave of displacement on Sunday. Meanwhile, a Gaza hospital director was injured in an Israeli drone strike, according to Palestinian medics. The new orders for the Shejaia suburb, posted by the Israeli army spokesperson on X on Saturday night, were attributed to Palestinian militants firing rockets from the densely populated area in the north of the Gaza Strip. "For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the south," the military's post stated. Hamas' armed wing claimed responsibility for the rocket volley on Saturday, targeting an Israeli army base near the border.
Videos circulating on social and Palestinian media, which Reuters could not immediately verify, depicted residents leaving Shejaia on donkey carts and rickshaws, with others, including children carrying backpacks, walking. Families in the targeted areas began evacuating their homes after nightfall on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, marking the latest in a series of displacements since the war began 13 months ago. In central Gaza, health officials reported at least 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes on the urban camps of Al Maghazi and Al Bureij since Saturday night.
Adding to the hardships faced by Gaza's 2.3 million residents, most of whom have been repeatedly displaced, heavy winter rains flooded hundreds of tents across the enclave, ruining food supplies and washing away protective sheeting. "We ran in the middle of the night, the rainwater flooded the tent, the food is gone, the kids screamed and I am afraid they will get sick," said Rami, 37, a displaced resident of Gaza City, in a message to Reuters. The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service reported that thousands of displaced people were affected by the seasonal flooding and requested new tents and caravans from aid donors.
In northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have been operating against regrouping Hamas militants since early last month, health officials reported that an Israeli drone bombed Kamal Adwan Hospital, injuring its director Hussam Abu Safiya. "This will not stop us from completing our humanitarian mission and we will continue to do this job at any cost," Abu Safiya stated in a video message circulated by the health ministry on Sunday. Israeli forces claim that armed militants use civilian buildings, including housing blocks, hospitals, and schools, for operational cover. Hamas denies these accusations, asserting that Israeli forces indiscriminately target populated areas.
Kamal Adwan is one of three hospitals in northern Gaza that are barely operational, as the health ministry reports that Israeli forces have detained and expelled medical staff and blocked emergency medical, food, and fuel supplies. In recent weeks, Israel has claimed to facilitate the delivery of medical and fuel supplies and the transfer of patients from northern Gaza hospitals in collaboration with international agencies such as the World Health Organisation. Residents in three embattled northern Gaza towns—Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun—reported that Israeli forces had destroyed hundreds of homes since renewing operations in an area that Israel claimed months ago had been cleared of militants. Palestinians accuse Israel of aiming to permanently depopulate the area to create a buffer zone along the northern edge of Gaza, a claim Israel denies.
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