In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians in Gaza, thousands of Palestinians have been displaced from their homes due to evacuation orders issued by the Israeli military. According to various sources, around 1.9 million people are now crammed into central Gaza, with many seeking refuge in overcrowded coastal areas (Politico, CNN).
The European Hospital in Khan Younis served as a shelter for many displaced Palestinians before it was evacuated due to an Israeli military order (NYTimes). The hospital transferred its medical staff and around 600 patients to other hospitals out of fear for their safety (NYTimes, Aljazeera).
Israel launched a war in Gaza after Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2024, killing over 1,200 people mostly civilians (Politico). Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 37,900 people in Gaza according to its Health Ministry (Politico).
The United Nations has warned that some 250,000 people are affected by the Israeli military order to leave areas of southern Gaza (Aljazeera). The top U.N. court has concluded there is a plausible risk of genocide in Gaza, a charge Israel strongly denies (Politico).
The Israeli military instructed Palestinians to evacuate a wide swath of Khan Younis and nearby areas on Monday, July 1, 2024. This suggests Israel will launch a new ground assault into the city (Politico). However, an Israeli strike inside the safe zone on Tuesday killed at least 12 people including nine members of one family (Aljazeera).
Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the European Hospital in Khan Younis, but many doctors and patients chose to leave prior to the statement advising against it (NYTimes). The hospital's deputy director and doctors described a chaotic scene as people scrambled to find transportation and shelter (NYTimes).
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike that killed 12 people in the safe zone, but Hamas claimed responsibility for launching rockets into Israel from Gaza earlier in the day (Aljazeera).