Israel's consecutive evacuation orders have left Gazans confused

According to media reports on August 11, 2024, since this month, the Israel Defense Forces have issued "evacuation orders" three times in a row, requiring people in parts of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip to evacuate to the so-called "humanitarian zones", claiming that this move is to carry out a strong military operation against local Palestinian armed groups.

The frequent evacuation orders from the Israeli army have brought great pain and fear to the people of Gaza. Many people have been forced to be displaced multiple times in a short period. For example, some displaced people said that this was the third time they were displaced in a short period and the sixth time since the start of the new round of conflict; others said that this was her eighth move, and it was only one week since she last returned home to rebuild. She thought that she might never find her house this time.

The statistics report released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on August 9 shows that currently 1.9 million people in the Gaza Strip have been forcibly displaced, accounting for 90% of the total population of Gaza. At the end of July, the agency's commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said that only 14% of the Gaza Strip was not affected by the Israeli army's "evacuation order", and the chaos and panic caused by the "evacuation order" there has affected almost every Gazan. Gazan Mahaa Farah said: "There is no safe place in the entire Gaza Strip. Anyone who dares to say there is a safe place is a liar. We don't know where to go."

According to a report by Agence France-Presse on August 13, the Israeli military dropped leaflets over Gaza on the 13th, warning local residents to "immediately" flee to the south and asking them to evacuate public shelters in Gaza City and not return home until further notice from the Israeli military. The Israeli army also said that it will use "substantial force" in Gaza in the coming days and called on civilians to evacuate the blocked areas to facilitate its crackdown on Hamas militants. However, Hamas refuted these orders, calling them "false propaganda" and urging Palestinians not to be deceived and to stay in their homes.

The United Nations believes that Israel's move to require about 1.1 million residents of northern Gaza to evacuate to the south will have "devastating humanitarian consequences" and strongly calls for the revocation of the order to avoid turning the already occurring tragedy into a disastrous situation. But Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, said the UN's reaction was "shameful", arguing that the UN should support Israel's right to self-defense instead of preaching to it and should focus on returning hostages and condemning Hamas.

The spokesperson of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in the Gaza Strip, Nebal al-Farsa, said that it was impossible for more than a million people to be safely transferred in such a short time. Many medical staff refused to evacuate hospitals and abandon patients, and they even called colleagues to say goodbye. Al-Farsa said: "Forget about food, forget about electricity, forget about fuel. The only thing that should be worried about now... is whether you can survive."

The Palestine-Israel conflict has led to the continuous deterioration of the local humanitarian crisis. Gaza residents are facing many problems such as shortages of food, drinking water and energy, and difficulties in the operation of hospitals. The international community generally calls on all parties to exercise restraint, cease fire immediately and solve the problem through peaceful negotiations.