Mass evacuations in Gaza: Israel displaces 250,000 Amid intensified conflict

In an escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued evacuation orders resulting in the displacement of approximately 250,000 Gazans.

A report by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that as of August 21, OCHA revealed that between August 1 and August 22, the IDF issued 13 evacuation orders affecting key areas such as Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

The most recent orders on August 21 and 22 have displaced an additional 28,500 individuals.

The displaced population has been relocated to 146 refugee camps within the Gaza Strip. The scale of the evacuation underscores the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, as thousands are forced to leave their homes due to the escalating conflict.

The international community continues to monitor the situation closely as the humanitarian impact of these evacuations unfolds.

Israel-Hamas War, war between Israel and Palestinian militants, especially Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a land, sea, and air assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The October 7 attack resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, primarily Israeli citizens, making it the deadliest day for Israel since its independence.

More than 240 people were taken hostage during the attack. The next day, Israel declared itself in a state of war for the first time since the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The war began with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducting air strikes on the Gaza Strip, followed weeks later by the incursion of ground troops and armored vehicles.