The Israeli army has ordered the expulsion of Palestinians from Khan Younis, including the Bani Suhaila and Abasan areas in the southern Gaza Strip, ahead of what it described as an “unprecedented attack”.
Avichay Adraee, the Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, issued the warning in a post on X (formerly Twitter), declaring Khan Younis a “dangerous combat zone”.
He instructed residents of the affected areas to move towards the al-Mawasi zone in southern Gaza, which the military has previously designated as a “humanitarian area”.
Despite being labelled a so-called “safe zone”, al-Mawasi has been repeatedly targeted by Israeli forces.
The area is currently home to thousands of displaced Palestinian families who have sought refuge from ongoing Israeli air and ground assaults.
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Omar al-Rega, who fled from Khan Younis, told Middle East Eye that he and his family, including his wife and three children, have been displaced multiple times since their home was destroyed by Israeli forces earlier in the war.
Prior to the latest evacuation order, the family had been sheltering at a friend’s house, which they have now been forced to abandon.
“We don’t even have food for lunch, we don’t have transport, we have nothing… we have no idea where we will go,” Rega said, visibly exasperated by their situation. He added that he has been travelling on foot: “There is no life, there is nothing.”
Anwar Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Dagga, a displaced woman surrounded by her children, told MEE that they have no means of transportation and are forced to walk on foot towards the sea in search of safety.
“I swear to God, we can’t even walk, we’re dizzy,” said Abu Dagga, describing her family’s dire living conditions amid severe hunger and exhaustion.
“The people are hungry, they are tired,” added the Palestinian mother, who has been displaced at least four times since the conflict began.
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She explained that she has been forced to live on the streets and along the coastline, sheltering under a tent. Like many other civilians, she lives in constant fear, especially for the lives of her children.
While fleeing Khan Younis, she said she saw pregnant women struggling to walk, calling the scene a “grave injustice”.
“What else can we do? We just have God on our side… the only thing we have is our fate written out, whether we die here or next to the sea.”
Mohammad Abu Dagga, who is also fleeing Khan Younis with his wife and children, told MEE that securing transport is nearly impossible and that they are without access to food or water. Shaking an empty water bottle meant for his children, he expressed his anguish.
Speaking about the Israeli army’s expulsion order, he said the announcement was “terrifying”.
“The news terrified me. We are just civilians, staying in our tents, and we are being bombarded and slaughtered. None of the Arab leaders are able to stop them [Israel]. Are they all afraid?” he asked in disbelief.
“I am calling on the Arab and Muslim world to save us, to empathise with us as if these children and women were their own. Imagine their own children being slaughtered… and dogs gnawing on them.
“My own brother, dogs were gnawing at his body when I found him. I beg them to have mercy on us before they are judged in front of God. We have no part in this.”
Israeli forces dressed as women
The latest wave of expulsion orders issued by the Israeli army follows a failed operation by Israeli special forces aimed at capturing a senior leader of the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees.
During the mission, carried out early Monday morning, the forces assassinated Commander Ahmed Sarhan. However, an Israeli army radio correspondent, as reported by Al Jazeera, stated that killing Sarhan was not the operation’s “true objective”.
“The operation in Khan Younis faltered and did not achieve its true objective. There is no need to assassinate a person by endangering a special forces unit, as he can be targeted from the air,” the correspondent said.
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The Al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades later confirmed Sarhan’s death in a statement, saying: “Commander Ahmed Kamel Sarhan, the brigades’ special operations officer, was martyred after engaging in a heroic clash against the Zionist special forces.”
Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Al Shaer relayed eyewitness accounts which claimed that the Israeli special forces were disguised as women and arrived in a civilian vehicle.
They reportedly stormed the house where Sarhan was staying, arresting his wife and children. Another child was reportedly killed during the raid, and the fate of the family remains unknown.
To cover the withdrawal of the special forces, over 40 Israeli air strikes were launched in less than an hour, with intense shelling reported across the area, according to Shaer.
The Israeli army has provided limited details regarding the nature of the operation. In a brief statement, the military said: “The IDF is in the midst of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and is operating in all areas of the Gaza Strip… Following the reports, there is no change to the situational assessment.”
