AT LEAST eight Palestinians have been killed as Israeli tanks entered the city of Deir Al-Balah after a forced evacuation order.
The Israeli military issued a forced evacuation warning on Sunday for thousands of displaced Palestinians living in tents in the city, ordering them to move south to al-Mawasi, an area Israel has regularly attacked despite declaring it a “safe zone”.
On Monday, Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern areas of Deir Al-Balah with Israeli sources claiming the military believes some of the remaining hostages may be being held by Hamas, Reuters has reported.
At least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages in captivity in Gaza are believed to be still alive.
Tank shelling that hit eight houses and three mosques in the city has killed at least three Palestinians with several more wounded, according to the Guardian.
Israel’s raid and bombardment following the evacuation call has forced Palestinian families who had remained to flee and head west towards the coastal area of Deir Al-Balah and the nearby city Khan Younis.
Early on Monday in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a man, his wife, and their two children, in a tent, medics said.
Israel’s military reportedly said it had not entered Deir Al-Balah following the evacuation order and that it was continuing “to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area.”
Israeli sources have said the reason the army has so far stayed out is that they suspect Hamas might be holding hostages there, The Guardian has said.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has called the forced evacuation a “devastating blow” towards keeping aid efforts going in an already fragile area.
“Today’s mass displacement order issued by the Israeli military has dealt yet another devastating blow to the already fragile lifelines keeping people alive across the Gaza Strip,” OCHA said.
