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Israel has launched a ground and air assault on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, one of the only areas where it has not yet deployed ground forces in the devastated enclave.
A military evacuation order was issued on Sunday for the city, which is packed with thousands of Palestinians already displaced from Rafah and Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The IDF instructed people to move towards a crowded tent city in al-Mawasi on the Mediterranean coast.
At least 130 people have been killed and over 1,000 injured in the past 24 hours, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said.
Israel had not yet attacked Deir al-Balah in part because it is believed to be where about 20 surviving hostages are also being held.
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Smoke billows from Israeli bombardment as pictured from Deir el-Balah ( AFP via Getty Images )
The expansion of the 21-month-long offensive comes as the UN has warned that restricted aid deliveries is leaving Gaza’s 2.1 million population at risk of famine.
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In recent weeks, hundreds of Palestinians were killed as they tried to reach new food distribution sites set up under a controversial US- and Israeli- backed aid scheme.
In May hundreds of Palestinians died in Israel’s “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” offensive, which involved heavy airstrikes and new ground attacks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continues to insist that the war will not end until Hamas has been destroyed and that military pressure is the only way to release the remaining Israeli hostages.
Netanyahu has also refused to bend to escalated pressure from the UK and other western allies. The UK announced it would halt trade negotiations with Israel, warning it would go further if the new offensive was not halted.
Here, The Independent’s latest map shows how how Israel has expanded its offensive in Gaza by both air and ground, from Rafah and Khan Younis to Beit Lahia and Deir al-Balah.
As the offensive expanded, evacuation orders were issued and Palestinians were told to moved towards the crowded al-Mawasi.
The announcement comes as Israel and Hamas have been holding ceasefire talks in Qatar, but international mediators say there have been no breakthroughs.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that expanding Israeli military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas to negotiate, though negotiations have been stalled for months.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee warned that the military will attack “with intensity” against militants.
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A missile lands during an Israeli strike on a residential building in Gaza City ( REUTERS )
The Hostages Family Forum, a grassroots organisation that represents many of the families of hostages, condemned the evacuation announcement:
“Enough! The Israeli people overwhelmingly want an end to the fighting and a comprehensive agreement that will return all of the hostages.”
The war started when Hamas stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Fifty remain, but fewer than half are thought to be alive.
Israel’s military offensive that followed has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which says more than half of the dead have been women and children.