Dozens dead in Gaza as Israel launches new invasion of north

Tanks are pushing into northern Gaza

On Saturday, the army issued new evacuation orders from parts of the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, north of Deir al-Balah, forcing hundreds of families to flee their homes. The military statement said its forces aimed to act against Hamas militants who had carried out attacks from the territory.

Meanwhile, Israeli tanks stormed into the northern Gaza areas of Beit Lahiya and Jabalia overnight, and planes struck several houses, killing at least 20 people, according to doctors.

The Israeli military said its forces had encircled the Jabalia area, the center of its operations.

One raid on one house killed 10 people and another attack on another house left five people dead, with residents describing the night as one of the worst in months.

“The war is back,” said Raed, 52, from Jabalia, before he and his family left for Gaza City on Sunday.

“Dozens of explosions from airstrikes and tank fire shook the ground and buildings, it felt like the beginning of a war,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

The armed wings of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and smaller factions said the militants were involved in a shootout with Israeli forces in Jabalia, the largest of eight historic refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said its forces were operating in Jabalia to fight Hamas militants, dismantle military infrastructure and prevent Hamas from regrouping.

“Prior to the commencement of the operation, the Air Force attacked dozens of military targets in support of the maneuver forces, including weapons depots, underground structures, terrorist cells and additional military structures,” an Israeli military statement said.

“If necessary, the operation will continue, including systematic attacks and radical destruction of terrorist structures in the region,” he added.

He ordered residents to proceed to a designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian and UN officials say no place in the enclave is safe, including humanitarian zones that have been hit several times by Israeli rockets.

“The war is back,” said Raed, 52, from Jabalia, before he and his family left for Gaza City on Sunday.

“Dozens of explosions from airstrikes and tank fire shook the ground and buildings, it seemed to me like the beginnings of a war,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

Asked if they would go to Al-Mawasi as requested by the army, he replied: “Like they wouldn’t kill people displaced in the so-called humanitarian areas? We will not leave northern Gaza.”

Local journalist Hassan Hamad was among those killed in northern Gaza on Sunday. His death brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed since October 7 to 175, according to the Gaza government press office.