IDF urges Palestinians in Gaza to urgently leave Khan Yunis, its environs

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have issued a critical and urgent appeal to Palestinians residing in and around Khan Younis, a significant town in the southern Gaza Strip, urging them to evacuate their homes without delay.

This call to action comes as the IDF prepares to escalate military operations against Hamas and other militant factions, who have been launching continuous rocket attacks on Israeli territory from these densely populated areas.

IDF spokesperson Avihai Edri conveyed this message in a statement released on his X account (formerly Twitter), where he addressed the residents directly in Arabic, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

Edri emphasized the imminent danger posed by the IDF’s planned military actions, which are set to target the areas used by militants to launch their attacks. He strongly advised residents to prioritize their safety by moving immediately to designated humanitarian zones along the Mediterranean coast. The IDF also provided a map with the statement, marking the areas under threat and indicating the safest routes for evacuation.

This evacuation order is part of Israel’s broader military response following the unexpected and deadly assault by Hamas on October 7, 2023. During this attack, Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory from Gaza, killing numerous civilians in Israeli border communities and capturing more than 240 hostages, including women, children, and the elderly. Hamas justified the assault as retaliation for what they described as aggressive actions by Israeli authorities at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.

In the aftermath of the attack, Israel declared a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, which is home to approximately 2.3 million Palestinians. The blockade has severely restricted access to essential supplies, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. Simultaneously, the IDF has conducted widespread airstrikes across Gaza and has also targeted locations in Lebanon and Syria in response to perceived threats from those regions. The conflict has since spread, with clashes being reported in the West Bank, further escalating tensions across the region.

As the situation in Khan Younis intensifies, the IDF’s call for evacuation underscores the gravity of the impending military actions and the heightened risk to civilian lives in the conflict zone.