Israel orders Palestinians to evacuate most areas in southern Gaza

The Israeli military has called on Gazans to leave most settlements in the south of the strip, as it prepares to launch an “unprecedented attack” against terrorist organizations in the area, according to an evacuation order published in Arabic.

The order affects the larger cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, as well as all other settlements in southern Gaza expect for Al-Mawasi, according to a map published by the military.

Gazans were told to move the Al-Mawasi in south-western Gaza, which has been designated as a humanitarian zone during the war.

Militants continued to fire rockets from areas affected by the evacuation order, the Israeli military said, after reporting shelling from the south of the Palestinian territory on Monday morning.

According to eyewitnesses, many people heeded the call to evacuate.

However, a large number of deaths were reported from Khan Younis, the second largest city in the Gaza Strip, with the military reiterating that the city was considered a “dangerous combat zone”.

The Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis are exempt from the evacuation order, according to the military.