Thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza on Tuesday after the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) issued evacuation orders, declaring the area a “dangerous combat zone.” Similar orders were imposed on residents of Khuza’a and Abasan in the south, triggering another wave of displacement under relentless bombardment.

Civilians sought refuge in Jabalia and other areas after the IOF ordered them to leave immediately, citing military operations. “For your own safety, you must evacuate to designated shelters,” Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on social media, as airstrikes pounded densely populated neighborhoods.

The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed that at least 420 Palestinians were killed and 600 others wounded in Tuesday’s attacks alone, in what authorities described as one of the deadliest assaults since the IOF resumed its genocidal war on the besieged territory. Emergency teams continue to struggle to recover bodies from the rubble, with entire families among the dead.

The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the latest strikes as “massacres,” denouncing Israel’s continued targeting of civilians. Rescue workers report severe difficulties in reaching the wounded due to the intensity of the bombardment and the destruction of roads and infrastructure.

Since October 2023, the IOF’s military campaign has killed more than 48,500 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, and wounded over 112,000. Thousands more remain missing, presumed dead beneath the ruins, as Gaza faces an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.