At least 120,000 Israelis internally displaced by war, says Defense Ministry

The Defense Ministry says more than 120,000 Israelis are internally displaced amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and escalating skirmishes on the Lebanon border.

According to ministry officials, the numbers are broken down into two main categories: those who have been fully evacuated from their homes, and those who are eligible “to rest and refresh themselves” at state-subsidized guesthouses temporarily.

Some 16,000 Israelis living in 25 communities up to four kilometers from the Gaza Strip, and another 27,000 Israelis living in 28 towns up to two kilometers from the Lebanon border have already been evacuated.

The ministry’s National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) has also been working to evacuate some 23,000 Israelis from the northern city of Kiryat Shmona in recent days.

Meanwhile, NEMA announced this morning that it would evacuate another 14 towns from the Lebanon border, comprising another 11,000 residents.

The state will be responsible for these Israelis until the military allows them to return to what is now a closed military zone near the Gaza border and a restricted area near Lebanon.

Separately, some 36,000 residents of Sderot and 18,000 Israelis living in 29 towns between four and seven kilometers from Gaza are eligible to go and “rest and refresh themselves” for a week at state-subsidized guesthouses.

Ministry officials say not all of those living in those areas have taken the opportunity to leave at this stage.

Additionally, many Israelis have evacuated their homes near the northern and southern borders, despite not being ordered to.