Israel commits new massacres, issues forced evacuation orders across Gaza
Israeli bombing killed dozens in southern Gaza as the forced displacement of Palestinians in northern Gaza continues
Overnight Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed at least 37 Palestinians, mostly in south and central Gaza, Al-Jazeera reported on 24 August. At least 32 of those killed have arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
In Khan Younis, an airstrike on the Kalakh family home in the Al-Amal neighborhood killed 11 civilians, while Israeli bombardment of the Al-Katiba area in central Khan Younis also claimed 11 lives.
The killings came as the Israeli military issued new forced evacuation orders for Palestinians from large parts of Beit Lahia, located in the northern Gaza Strip, as part of its preparation for military operations.
Al-Jazeera's correspondent reported intense Israeli shelling in Beit Lahia at the time the order was issued.
While media coverage focuses on ongoing ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, Israel's ongoing bombing campaign and evacuation orders appear to be part of a broader effort to target Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
Channel 12 journalist Eyal Ofer noted that Israel's bombing campaign in the north of Gaza has escalated, and that the forced displacement of Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza, in particular Gaza City, is central to Israel's strategy to defeat Hamas.
Ofer writes that "Clinging to Gaza City is the center of the war of consciousness between the IDF and Hamas."
He adds that "This is the real war happening now in the north of the Gaza Strip" and that "Only the evacuation of about a quarter of a million people from the north of the Gaza Strip" will create the pressure needed on Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to capitulate to Israeli demands in ceasefire negotiations.
Gazan writer and analyst Muhammad Shehada of EuroMed Human Rights group writes that the Israeli army has been trying to accomplish this for ten months but has failed and admits Gazans refuse to leave despite numerous evacuation orders.
Despite Israel's effort to "terrorize the population and force them to flee," including by systematically bombing schools where displaced Palestinians shelter after their homes are destroyed, Shehad says that "Gazans are still refusing to leave the north, so expect more vicious bombing and raids."
As a result of the bombing, Gaza is becoming uninhabitable. According to satellite imagery analysis, UNOSAT reports that 63 percent of the total structures in the Gaza Strip have been damaged, including 215,137 housing units.
High-ranking Israeli officer Col. Erez Eshel stated in early November while on the outskirts of Gaza City, "(Revenge is) a great value... for the next century everyone will know not to mess with the Jews... This place will be a plowed field. They won't be able to live here."
At least 40,265 people have been killed by Israel and 93,144 wounded in its ten-month war on Gaza.