Israeli troops moved into an area of northern Gaza to expand what they call a security zone around the edge of the enclave, the military said yesterday, days after the Israeli government announced plans to seize large areas with an operation in the south.
Soldiers carrying out the operation in Shejaia, a suburb east of Gaza City in the north, were letting civilians out via organized routes, the military said in a statement.
Israel issued evacuation warnings in the area on Thursday and hundreds of residents streamed out, some carrying their belongings as they walked, others on donkey carts and bikes or in vans.
Photo: AP
Gaza health authorities said that Israeli forces killed at least 27 people in an airstrike on a school building in Gaza City where displaced families were sheltering.
The military said the Dar al-Arqam school building in Tuffah neighborhood in Gaza City had been used a command and control center by Hamas militants and accused the fighters of deliberately using civilian infrastructure as bases.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been fleeing their homes in the past few days in one of the biggest mass exoduses of the war, as Israeli forces have moved to expand the territory under their control.
On the southern edge of Gaza, Israeli troops have been consolidating around the ruins of the city of Rafah.
Israel has not fully explained its long-term aim for the areas it is now seizing as a security zone.
Gaza residents say they believe the aim is to permanently depopulate swathes of land, including some of Gaza’s last farmland and water infrastructure.
The military said it had killed numerous militants and dismantled infrastructure.
Palestinians say Israel’s ultimate aim is to displace Gaza’s population permanently, in line with a plan announced by US President Donald Trump to turn the enclave into a waterfront resort under US control.
Israel says it would encourage Palestinians who wish to leave voluntarily.
Israeli troops resumed their operation in Gaza on March 18, following a two month truce.
Ministers have said the operation would continue until 59 hostages still held in Gaza are returned.
Hamas says it will free them only under a deal that brings a permanent end to the war.
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