Israeli Military’s Ground Offensive in Gaza Sparks Renewed Calls for Mass Evacuations, Deepening Humanitarian Crisis

Israeli warplanes heavily bombarded an area around Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday, as the Israeli military ordered mass evacuations from the town. The military’s ground offensive is pushing Palestinians into a progressively shrinking portion of the besieged territory, leaving them with a deadly choice: stay in the path of Israeli forces or flee to squeeze into progressively tinier slivers of the Gaza Strip, with no guarantee of safety.

The Israeli military’s renewed calls for mass evacuations from Khan Younis on Monday, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge in recent weeks, has been met with warnings from aid workers that the mass movement will worsen the already dire humanitarian catastrophe in the territory.

Thomas White, the Gaza chief of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, said in a post on X that “another wave of displacement is underway, and the humanitarian situation worsens by the hour.” He added that the agency is “gravely concerned” about the safety and well-being of civilians in the area, and that it is “working around the clock to provide assistance to those in need.”

The Israeli military’s ground offensive has been met with international condemnation, with the United Nations Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire. The U.N. has also urged both sides to “exercise maximum restraint” and to protect civilians. In the meantime, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen.