Israeli forces have issued evacuation orders for residents in parts of northern Gaza, compelling thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes amid relentless air strikes. On Friday, intense bombardment in the Beit Lahiya area forced families to gather only essential belongings and seek shelter elsewhere.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 19,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Thursday afternoon. “Many with nothing but the clothes on their backs,” the IOM noted on its X account, lamenting that “nowhere is safe in Gaza.”
Since the conflict’s escalation in October 2023, nearly every Gazan has been uprooted at least once, with repeated forced displacements as Israel expands its military operations. On Saturday, the Israeli military announced in Arabic that it had begun “initial stages” of “Operation Gideon’s Chariots,” aimed at “achieving all the war’s objectives, including the release of the abducted and the defeat of Hamas.” An accompanying English statement confirmed that troops were being mobilized to secure “operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip.”
Since dawn on Friday, at least 115 Palestinians have been killed in northern Gaza, with more than 100 others killed in similar strikes on Thursday. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the total death toll since October 2023 has reached at least 53,119, with 120,214 wounded. The enclave’s Government Media Office has since updated the figure to over 61,700, noting that thousands still missing under rubble are presumed dead.
