The Israeli military has expanded its operations in a part of central Gaza that had remained relatively unscathed during the war with Hamas, raiding a U.N. facility and prompting panic among Palestinians who had sought refuge in the area.
In the raid on the U.N. facility, a World Health Organization building in the city of Deir al-Balah, Israeli forces handcuffed and stripped male staff and family members and held them at gunpoint, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the agency, said in a statement. Women and children were forcibly evacuated south in the raid, which took place on Monday, he added.
The Israeli military said that its forces had come under fire while operating in the area. It did not deny raiding the W.H.O. facility but said that any “suspects” had been treated “in accordance with international law.”
Israeli troops have swept through much of Gaza backed by extensive airstrikes during the 21 months of the war. But the city of Deir al-Balah had been left largely untouched, partly because Israeli officials said they believed that hostages were being held there.
On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered residents in parts of the city to leave or face life-threatening danger. Some Palestinians thought those warnings suggested that Israel was poised to launch a ground offensive in the city.
The Israeli military launched strikes and ground operations around Deir al-Balah, but it was unclear how far the operations would expand. Israeli troops had not advanced into the densely populated city center, but residents were already fleeing.
Deir al-Balah has became an informal refuge for Palestinians fleeing other parts of Gaza, and huge tent camps have sprung up in the city. In the relative calm, a modicum of normalcy had survived. The city also hosts major warehouses for the United Nations, as well as guesthouses for the organization’s staff.
Many Palestinians fled to the north of the city, seeking safety in areas that the Israeli authorities had not declared potential combat zones. According to the United Nations, tens of thousands of people have been sheltering at dozens of displacement sites in the area.
But there are few places left to flee to in Gaza. More than 85 percent of the enclave is under direct Israeli military control or subject to Israeli evacuation orders, according to the United Nations. The rest of Gaza’s nearly two million residents have been mostly hemmed into the shrinking parts that remain.
More than 57,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in the Israeli campaign against Hamas in Gaza, according to the Gaza health ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
For the families of Israeli hostages, the potential attack in the city has also fueled renewed fear for the lives of their loved ones. About 50 of the 250 captives seized during the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, remain in Gaza, though dozens of those are presumed dead by the Israeli authorities.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, an advocacy group, has demanded that the Israeli government explain how an attack in central Gaza would avoid putting captives’ lives at risks.
“The people of Israel will not forgive those who knowingly endangered the hostages,” the forum said in a statement.
Aaron Boxerman is a Times reporter covering Israel and Gaza. He is based in Jerusalem.
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