Running from Death to Death: 75,000 Forced out of Gaza’s Khan Younis

Tens of thousands of Gaza residents have evacuated the northern suburbs of Khan Younis after “Israel” issued additional “evacuation orders” ahead of a “military operation” in the area.

According to media reports, many residents abandoned their houses and shelters in the middle of the night for locations already packed with hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.

The order covers districts in the center, east, and west, making it one of the largest yet in the ongoing genocide. 

“For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to the newly created humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone,” the announcement was sent to the residents’ phones.

Both Palestinian and UN officials have decried Gaza as having no true safe zones since many like al-Mawassi in Khan Younis have been bombed.

Khan Younis, Gaza’s largest southern governorate, has already received many “evacuation orders” in recent weeks and has been ravaged by months of bombing, which has reduced apartment blocks to mounds of debris.

“We’re exhausted. This is the 10th time I and my family have had to leave our shelter,” said Zaki Mohammad, 28. 

“People are carrying their belongings, their children, their hopes and their fears and running towards the unknown, because there is no safe place,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

“We are running from death to death.”

The UN has reported that most of the 2.3 million residents in Gaza have already been displaced.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations organization for Palestinian refugees, stated that the latest “evacuation orders” forced many individuals out beginning Sunday morning.

In a post on X, he stated that about 75,000 Palestinians had been relocated in southwest Gaza in recent days.

“They are going to overcrowded places where shelters are already overflowing with families. They have lost everything and need everything. Unlike in other wars, the people of Gaza are trapped and have nowhere to go,” Lazzarini affirmed.

“Some are only able to carry their children with them, some carry their whole lives in one small bag,” he added. 

The ongoing & endless exodus of the Palestinian people.
From Yarmouk in Syria to Khan Younis in #Gaza this week. 👇
Over the decades, Palestinian civilians have been caught up in wars and conflicts, far too many times.

Just in the past few days, more than 75,000 people have… pic.twitter.com/9H7z23oo7T

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) August 11, 2024

 

A strike hit Khan Younis on Sunday, injuring numerous civilians who were treated at Nasser Hospital.

Heartbreaking scenes in #Gaza as displaced Palestinians are forced to live near rotting trash piles, raising serious health concerns.

The summer heat and lack of sanitation, food, and water worsen the situation, with #UN officials warning of potential disease outbreaks.

This… pic.twitter.com/0taWTgYKdI

 

Youths make up 24% of Gaza genocide victims: PCBS

The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) stated today that 24% of those killed in the ongoing Israeli onslaught in Gaza are youth, with 26% male and 22% female.

According to a PCBS research released on International Youth Day, 75% of those killed by Israeli occupation forces in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, are under the age of 30.

The analysis indicates that Gaza’s population growth rate would fall sharply from a projected 2.7% in 2023 to about 1% in 2024, following a major reduction in birth rates caused by the continuing Israeli assault.

According to the paper, intentional attacks on children and youth will have a direct influence on the population’s age and gender structure, resulting in long-term demographic shifts.

Palestine had a population of almost 5.6 million people prior to the Israeli onslaught, with 1.2 million adolescents aged 18-29 accounting for 22% of the total. By the end of 2023, this share was 22% in the West Bank and 21% in Gaza, the report stated.

Additionally, Israeli troops murdered 653 students from higher education institutions, including 619 in Gaza and 34 in the West Bank. Furthermore, 105 education personnel in Gaza have been murdered, while 1,406 students from Gaza’s higher education institutions have been wounded.