Israel issues a new evacuation order to the residents of Khan Yunis

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for residents of the southern neighbourhoods of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, to the new “humanitarian zone” in Al-Mawasi.

The army said that it had "intelligence information" indicating that "Hamas is operating within the borders of the humanitarian zone."

Israeli army spokesman Avichai Adraee said on the "X" platform: "In light of numerous terrorist activities and rocket launches towards Israel from within the western neighbourhoods of Khan Yunis, presence in that area has become dangerous."

He referred in a statement to "the amendments that occurred to the borders of the humanitarian zone" and called on the Palestinians who are sheltering in the area to evacuate to the designated area in Al-Mawasi temporarily.

The army warned that it would carry out strikes against Hamas and infrastructure in the region.

A military source said that hospitals in the area do not need to be evacuated and that Israeli forces informed Palestinian health officials and officials in the international community about this.

On Friday, the United Nations reported that more than 180,000 Palestinians were forced to flee during four days of fierce fighting around Khan Yunis in light of an Israeli military operation to recover the bodies of hostages from the area.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the recent "intensive hostilities" in the Khan Yunis area, more than nine months after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, resulted in "new waves of internal displacement throughout Gaza."

On Wednesday, the Israeli army announced the recovery of the bodies of five people during an operation in Khan Yunis, including a woman and two soldiers, all of whom were killed during the Hamas attack on Israel and were transferred to the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevy said that the bodies of the hostages were recovered from hidden underground tunnels and walls.

According to UN figures, the vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once due to fighting.