The civilian drama in Gaza continues as Israeli forces are now said to be “in the heart” of Khan Younis in the south, where Hamas leaders are believed to be hiding. More than 600,000 people have been ordered to evacuate southern Gaza, according to the head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini.

“Nearly half of them had already been forced to leave their homes in the past,” he wrote on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

He also warned that, for the people of Gaza, “there’s nowhere for them to go, as shelters, including UNRWA, are overstretched.”

New instructions from Israel for civilians

Israel has made it clear to the Palestinians that it will not allow the movement of civilians on the Salah al-Din road that cuts through the Gaza Strip in parts north and east of Khan Yunis. Instead, it instructs residents moving away from the north to use a diversion along a coastal route, which the IDF claims will allow movement.

The UN has estimated that over 75% of Gaza’s population has been displaced from their homes since Israel began its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The message from Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee also states that “there will also be a local and temporary tactical suspension of military activities for humanitarian purposes” in an area from 10am. until 2 pm

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Unicef: ‘safe zones’ are ‘tiny bits of barren land’

According to Unicef ​​the “safe zones” according to the Israeli authorities are “tiny pieces of barren land” without any provision for civilians.

“We drop leaflets with QR codes that open a map that guides Gazans to safer areas,” said IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari. But Palestinians in the affected areas have spoken of problems accessing the online map, and UN officials have called the idea of ​​any “safe zone” a “dangerous false narrative”.

“These are tiny pieces of barren land. They have no water, they have no facilities, they have no shelter from the cold, they have no sanitation,” Unicef ​​spokesman James Elder told the BBC on Tuesday.

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