The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has called on thousands of Palestinians to leave Khan Yunis and nearby towns in Gaza, extending Israel’s active “combat zone” to cover a majority of the Strip. Designated “humanitarian zones” have repeatedly come under Israeli fire throughout the conflict.
In a statement published on Friday, the IDF’s Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that Gazans remaining in “dangerous combat zones” could face “extreme force,” urging them to flee toward the Mediterranean coast. The spokesman also shared a map showing the no-go areas colored in red.
“The IDF continues to operate with extreme force against terrorist organizations,” he said. “The areas marked in red on the map are considered dangerous combat zones. For your safety, and in order not to put your lives in danger, do not move or approach the combat zones!”
That area was expanded yet again just one day later, enlarged to cover additional towns in the Khan Yunis Governorate, including Bani Suhaila, Abasan al-Kabira and al-Jadidah. Adraee added that Palestinians should “remain in the Mawasi area” near Rafah until further notice, with the designated combat zone now covering some 70% of Gaza, according to the Cradle.
The IDF warning came soon after a massive communications blackout across Gaza, leaving most of the territory without internet service. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the outage marked a “complete collapse” of services caused by “heavy military activity” in central and southern Gaza.
“This is not a routine outage but a total failure of Gaza’s digital infrastructure and is affecting lifelines to emergency services, humanitarian coordination and critical information to civilians,” said the UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, adding that “civilians cannot access life-saving support.”
Internet access was fully restored on Saturday, according to the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
While the IDF has issued countless evacuation orders to the residents of Gaza throughout the Israeli bombing campaign, areas designated as “humanitarian zones” have repeatedly come under fire. Multiple Israeli strikes on a makeshift tent camp in Mawasi last year reportedly killed more than 100 people and left hundreds more injured.
Aid distribution sites have also been bombed in recent days, with at least 15 Palestinians killed this week in separate IDF strikes near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) hub in north-central Gaza. The GHF, an American org with close links to the US and Israeli governments, has faced criticism from rights groups, who say the foundation is “not a genuine humanitarian effort” and involved in “the deliberate restriction of aid by the Israeli government.”
According to Gaza health officials, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli onslaught since October 7, 2023, after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel which left nearly 1,200 people dead. The war in Gaza has dragged on even as Tel Aviv escalates conflict with Iran in recent days, triggered after a major Israeli bombing raid on Iranian nuclear sites and senior military leaders on June 13.
Will Porter is assistant news editor and book editor at the Libertarian Institute, and a regular contributor at Antiwar.com. Find more of his work at Consortium News and ZeroHedge.
