Israeli Armed Forces today called on civilians in southern and central Gaza to leave the areas urgently as a new military operation looms, while the US ambassador to Israel said he was "appalled" after a Palestinian was killed by hostile Israeli settlers in the West Bank. DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"The terrorist organization "Hamas" has established a terrorist infrastructure in an area designated as a humanitarian zone," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote in a publication in "Telegram". It says that the Palestinian armed group "Hamas" yesterday fired rockets at Israel from the town of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
"The IDF will take action against the terrorist organizations in the area,", the publication also says.
Through leaflets, text messages, phone calls and Arabic-language media reports, the IDF ordered civilians to move to a humanitarian zone whose borders had been changed.
Among the affected areas are the northern parts of Khan Younis and east of the city of Deir al-Balah.
The IDF said it was warning civilians in advance "in order to limit damage to the civilian population and allow them to move away from the combat zone". The humanitarian zone in central Gaza is currently being adapted, the IDF added. An army map shows that the size of the zone was limited and that several neighborhoods are no longer part of it.
The large number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza have caused sharp international criticism of Israel's actions, DPA points out.
US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew today said he was "appalled" after a Palestinian was killed in a violent raid by hostile Israeli settlers on a West Bank village.
"These attacks must stop and the criminals brought to justice," Liu wrote in his post on social media "X".
A 22-year-old Palestinian man was shot dead yesterday after about 50 masked settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Jit west of Nablus, Palestinian health authorities said. Another Palestinian was seriously injured, authorities added.
Israeli media reported that settlers burned at least four houses and six cars and that the army detained an Israeli and handed him over to the police.