UNRWA says that safe zone in Gaza has shrunk to 11% of the Strip

The “humanitarian zone” in Gaza where Palestinian civilians are safe from IDF operations has shrunk to 11 percent of the Strip’s territory, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says.

In a series of tweets, UNRWA also decries the evacuation orders recently issued by the IDF, saying that they have caused “chaos and fear” among the displaced.

The size and location of IDF-designated “safe areas” inside the Strip are constantly changing based on evolving operations against terror groups on the ground. UNRWA said on Friday that approximately 84% of the Strip’s territory has been placed under evacuation orders by the Israeli military since October 7.

Yesterday, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee called on the civilian population to evacuate the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza and move to an area that Israel designated as a “safe zone” further south.

The order came after similar instructions were issued on Friday for residents of northern Khan Younis in the south of the Strip and Deir al-Balah in the center. Palestinians were ordered to evacuate from neighborhoods that were previously considered humanitarian zones to other safe areas on the coast, after intelligence indicated that Hamas had placed terror infrastructure in those neighborhoods.

#Gaza: New evacuation orders have been issued by Israeli authorities, even inside the so-called “humanitarian zone”.

Once again, fear spreads as families have nowhere to go. People remain trapped in an endless nightmare of death and destruction on a staggering scale. pic.twitter.com/Myi6z6Ix87

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 16, 2024