Israel signals major Gaza assault
Shafaq News/ Residents of eastern Gaza evacuated their homes on Friday after the Israeli military warned of imminent 'heavy' strikes on several districts.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee warned in a post on X that civilians in Khuza'a and the Abasan al-Kabira and Abasan al-Jadida districts should move immediately to designated shelters in the southern city of Khan Younis. He also urged residents of Shujaiya, Terkman, and eastern Zeitoun in Gaza City to relocate to western parts of the city, which he described as 'relatively safer.'
#عاجل ‼️ إلى جميع سكان قطاع غزة المتواجدين في خربة خزاعة، عبسان الكبيرة والجديدة⭕️جيش الدفاع بدأ هجومًا قوياً لتدمير قدرات المنظمات الإرهابية. هذه المنطقة تعتبر منطقة قتال خطيرة!⭕️من أجل سلامتكم، عليكم الإخلاء فورًا إلى المآوي المعروفة في مدينة خان يونس.⭕️استمرار بقائكم في… pic.twitter.com/RMI8NpBvQT
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) April 11, 2025
Those areas have seen heavy fighting in earlier phases of the conflict. Khan Younis, which has also come under bombardment, remains one of the few zones designated by Israeli forces as shelter and has absorbed large numbers of displaced families.
The military said the evacuations were intended to clear the way for a 'wide-scale operation aimed at destroying the military capabilities of terrorist organizations.'
The warnings come amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where nearly two million people have been displaced since the war began, according to United Nations agencies. Severe shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies persist, and many families have been forced to flee multiple times as frontlines continue to shift.
Earlier, Hamas said that Israeli prisoners held in Gaza face 'heightened risk ' due to Israeli military operations in evacuation zones.
The Gaza Health Ministry revealed that at least 50,887 people have been killed since the conflict began on October 7, 2023, with thousands more believed to be buried under rubble. Another 115,875 have been wounded.
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