On Monday morning, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) issued urgent evacuation orders to residents of Abasan and Bani Suheila, two towns east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, as it announced the expansion of ground operations across the Strip.
This new wave of displacement follows intense airstrikes on the area since early morning, which killed and wounded dozens of civilians, including internally displaced people (IDPs) living in makeshift tents.
The escalation comes amid what UN agencies describe as an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe”, marked by a total collapse of medical and humanitarian services. Gaza has been transformed into an open zone of killing and destruction, with experts calling the situation a clear case of ongoing genocide.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the Israeli bombardment targeted both residential homes and IDP shelters in Khan Younis, leaving dozens dead, most of them women and children, and scores more injured. The wounded are unable to access emergency care due to damaged hospitals, critical shortages of medical supplies, and the absence of safe humanitarian corridors.
In a direct attack on health infrastructure, Israeli forces bombed the medical supply and solutions warehouse at Nasser Hospital, destroying vital stocks. The Ministry of Health confirmed the incident, sharing visual evidence of the damage.
Although the Israeli army instructed civilians to move west to Al-Mawasi, designated a “safe humanitarian zone,” airstrikes and artillery bombardments continued there, killing and injuring displaced families sheltering in flimsy tents with no basic protection.
This contradiction between claims of safe zones and actual bombardment reflects a systematic policy that erases the line between military and civilian targets, and weaponises so-called humanitarian corridors as tools for forced displacement and continued assault.
Since 7 October 2023, Palestinians in Gaza have faced a total war aimed at their physical and geographic eradication. Over 174,000 people have been killed or injured, with a disproportionately high toll among women and children. More than 11,000 remain missing, and over 1.5 million people have been forcibly displaced.
While the United Nations continues to call for a ceasefire and the protection of civilians, Israel persists in expanding its military campaign — in defiance of international humanitarian law, including the principles of proportionality, the prohibition on forced displacement, and the obligation to protect civilians during armed conflict.
What is happening in Gaza goes beyond violations — it constitutes a sustained genocide, carried out with political cover and external military support, amid the international community’s failure to enforce accountability and halt the aggression.
This collapse of civilian protection demands urgent action from international organisations and the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions. Immediate steps must be taken to end the blockade, initiate independent investigations into war crimes and crimes against humanity, including deliberate targeting of civilians, forced displacement, and attacks on medical and civilian infrastructure.
