The Israeli military ordered the evacuation of part of a designated humanitarian zone in the Gaza Strip on Monday as it prepares for an offensive against Hamas militants in the area.
The Israeli military’s planned operation targets the eastern part of the Muwasi humanitarian zone, a densely populated area in southern Gaza, The Associated Press reported. It says it will begin an operation against Hamas militants who have embedded themselves in the area and used it to launch rockets toward Israel.
Earlier this month, Israel estimated that 1.8 million Palestinians—the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population—reside in this 14-kilometer-long (8.6 miles) zone along the Mediterranean.
However, conditions in much of the area are poor. There are many tent camps that have limited access to resources, with inadequate sanitation, medical facilities, and limited aid, according to U.N. and humanitarian groups.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday the toll from Israel’s nine-month war against Hamas in Gaza has surpassed 39,000 Palestinians killed and 89,800 wounded. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 with a deadly Hamas assault on southern Israel, that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to approximately 250 hostages taken, per the Israeli government. About 120 remain held, about a third of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli authorities.
The Israeli military said operations will continue in central and southern Gaza, following the deaths of at least 38 reported in Khan Younis on Monday and casualties outside Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir-Al-Balah, AP reported.
The deaths of two Israeli hostages, Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, have been confirmed based on intelligence reports.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has vowed to dismantle Hamas’ military and governance structures and secure the return of the remaining hostages.
While negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release continue, U.S. and Israeli officials are hopeful for progress. Netanyahu‘s office recently announced the deployment of a negotiating team to continue talks on Thursday, facilitated by Egypt, Qatar, and the United States, aiming for a phased ceasefire and hostage release.
However, this comes after the United Nations‘ top court declared Israel’s continued presence in the Palestinian territories “illegal” and urged the country to immediately cease all new settlements, evacuate settlers, and issue reparations, in an advisory opinion released Friday.
In the decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that Israel is obliged to end its presence as “rapidly as possible.”
The ICJ’s opinion, delivered by a panel of 15 judges from around the world, including one from the United States, lacks enforcement measures but is likely to impact international politics, especially with increased scrutiny on Israel’s Prime Minister.
However, Netanyahu responded in a statement on social media rejecting the court’s findings.
“The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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