News, fighting in Gaza, deaths and more

Smoke from gunfire billows in the background as displaced Palestinians flee Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, on January 30, 2024. Credit: Mahmoud Hames/AFP via Getty Images

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday that Israeli forces have ordered the evacuation of 41% of Gaza since it began dividing the enclave into numbered blocks in December.

Since December, 1,158 square kilometers of Gaza, which 1.38 million people called home before October 7, has been placed under such orders, the OHCA said. He said there are 161 shelters in the area that house about 700,750 internally displaced people.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they have urged people to leave certain areas of Gaza to avoid fighting in the war against Hamas.

On Monday, the Israeli military “urged” residents of al-Nassar, al-Sheikh Radwan, al-Shatti refugee camp, northern and southern Rimal, Sabra, al-Sheikh Ajlin and Tel al-Hawa, west of Gaza City. ” Did. to “designated shelters” in the south “for their safety.”

The new guidelines cover an area of ​​12.43 square kilometers, equivalent to 3.4% of Gaza. According to OCHA, the area was home to approximately 300,000 Palestinians before October 7 and contained 59 shelters housing approximately 88,000 internally displaced people.

Some background: As of January 26, there were an estimated 1.7 million internally displaced people in Gaza, OCHA said, citing UNRWA. The ongoing fighting and subsequent evacuation orders have forced some families to move away from those shelters. Where they were initially registered.