Israeli attacks killed at least 57 people across Gaza on Sunday, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as the Israeli military is preparing to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City and has been ramping up strikes on the area.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic language spokesman, announced on Saturday that the IDF would begin its “evacuation” of Palestinian civilians from Gaza City on Sunday. He added that Israel would allow tents and other equipment for shelter to be allowed through the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza.
According to a recent report from Haaretz, the IDF’s plans to take over Gaza City involve forcibly displacing 1.2 million civilians in the area. Many Palestinians are expected to stay since they’ve already been displaced so many times and don’t think the south will be safe either. The Haaretz report said the IDF is prepared to use artillery to force Palestinians to leave.
Other Israeli media reports have said that once the Palestinians are forced to the south, they will be pressured to leave Gaza altogether, as the Israeli government’s ultimate goal is ethnic cleansing. Israel is reportedly in talks with several countries about taking in a large number of Palestinians, but it’s unclear if any of them will actually agree.
Heavy Israeli strikes in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in recent days have already displaced thousands of families, according to Al Jazeera. The neighborhood was hit again on Sunday when the IDF struck the al-Ahli Hospital, killing at least seven people.
The Israeli military also killed at least 38 desperate Palestinians seeking aid on Sunday. The Gaza Health Ministry said in its daily update on Sunday that it recorded the deaths of 1,938 aid seekers and the injuries of 14,420 since the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating at the end of May. Palestinians have been killed near GHF sites and also while attempting to reach aid trucks.
The Health Ministry said that the latest violence has brought its death toll since October 7, 2023, to 61,944, and the number of wounded to 155,886. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.
