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Thousands of Palestinians flee areas in central Gaza after warnings from Israeli army

December 23, 2023 at 3:17 pm

Palestinians, living in the Bureij Refugee Camp, leave their homes with their belongings to proceed towards the city of Deir al-Balah following Israeli Forces’ asking them to leave the camp in Bureij, Gaza, on December 22, 2023. [Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency]

Thousands of Palestinians have forcibly left their homes in the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip after the Israeli army warned them to immediately vacate the areas, Anadolu Agency reports.

An Anadolu reporter said the Palestinians headed toward western Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and to the Al-Mawasi area in western Khan Younis in the southern enclave.

The displaced Palestinians carried blankets, wood bars and nylon to erect tents in the areas they are headed, which are mainly uninhabitable empty lands, said the Anadolu reporter.

Early Friday, the Israeli army ordered residents of the two camps to leave their areas for safety, causing panic and fear.

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According to the Anadolu, Deir al-Balah is already crowded with residents who fled the northern parts of the Gaza Strip in the early days of the war.

As the army asked Palestinians to move from one area to another under the pretext of safety, Israeli bombing continued to pound all areas across the Gaza Strip, leaving thousands killed.

Since Oct. 7, the Israeli army has been waging a destructive war on Gaza, resulting in at least 20,057 deaths and 53,320 injuries, most of whom are children and women. It has caused immense damage to infrastructure and an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Palestinian and international sources.

READ: UN: Gaza is besieged by famine