The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday ordered Palestinians to evacuate areas of central Gaza following overnight raids on Hamas strongholds in the region, the second time they’ve been forced to move in the past week.
The new orders impact Palestinians living in the Alma’azi refugee camp area in the center of the Gaza Strip and those in areas of eastern Deir al-Balah.
All were told to evacuate to humanitarian zones.
The IDF airstrikes killed at least 36 people, but it was unclear if specific Hamas leaders were targeted.
The fresh evacuations, signaling impending airstrikes, came as the United Nations claimed 90 percent of the 2.3 million people who call Gaza home have been displaced by successive evacuation orders in the ongoing war against the terror group that began Oct. 7.
The IDF confirmed it lost three soldiers, including two who died in clashes in Gaza City Friday.
The third soldier was killed by Hamas operatives, according to the IDF.
The new evacuation orders came as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo, where it is hoped stalled ceasefire talks will resume.
Separately, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman C.Q. Brown landed in Jordan Saturday for an unannounced visit, where he will reportedly meet with officials to discuss ways to avoid any new escalation in tensions that could spiral into a broader conflict.
With fears of retaliation from Iran growing, Brown is also expected to visit Israel and Egypt to meet with their military leaders.
Meanwhile, former Oct. 7 hostages and relatives of captives remaining in Gaza implored Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to sign an agreement to free their loved ones.
Netanyahu, confronted at a meeting Friday, said there is no deal on the table to sign.
In leaked audio from the meeting, one of the hostage’s daughters told Netanyahu, “You can be remembered as the one who led the country to a better place or as the one who wreaked havoc here. You are the prime minister and you are responsible for the abductees, not Hamas and not anyone else. You are supposed to reach a deal that will bring all the abductees.”
With Post wires
