The IDF announced on Monday it “is about to forcefully operate against the terrorist organizations” in the eastern part of the humanitarian zone in the southern Gaza Strip due to intelligence information indicating Hamas terror infrastructure was located in the area.
The IDF also said terror activities and rocket fire had been carried out towards Israel from the area.
As a result, the military stated that it would adjust the humanitarian zone in Gaza in order to operate against the terror elements in the vicinity.
Avoiding harm to civilian population
In parallel, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee released a statement in Arabic on X, formerly Twitter, calling on the civilian population to evacuate.
#عاجل في ضوء عمليات إرهابية عديدة وإطلاق قذائف صاروخية نحو دولة إسرائيل من الجزء الشرقي للمنطقة الإنسانية أصبح البقاء في تلك المنطقة خطيرًا. لذلك، ستتم ملاءمة المنطقة وذلك بناء على معلومات استخبارية دقيقة تفيد بقيام منظمة حماس الإرهابية بوضع بنى إرهابية في المنطقة التي تم تصنيفها… pic.twitter.com/30jqJEJlPf
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) July 22, 2024
The military affirmed, “Early warning to civilians is being made in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and keep civilians away from areas of combat,” adding that it “Therefore calls on the remaining population left in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi.”
The military also stated it was notifying the population of the need to evacuate the area via phone calls, SMS messages, and Arabic broadcasts.
Hamas makes a practice of embedding itself in civilian areas.
Earlier this month, the IDF struck the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades’ commander, Mohammad Deif, in the Al-Mawasi area.
While Israel has not confirmed the strike successfully eliminated Deif, it has highlighted the likelihood that the arch-terrorist was killed.
Additionally, the IDF confirmed the strike killed the commander of Hamas’s Khan Yunis Brigade, Rafa’a Salameh, as well as numerous other terrorists.