UN protests over Israel's new evacuation orders in Gaza

The United Nations expressed strong opposition on Tuesday to Israel's latest mass evacuation orders in Gaza, amidst reports of intense close-quarters combat where the Israeli army claims to have killed dozens of Hamas fighters in Gaza City.

Following its previous evacuation warnings, Israel expanded its alert to encompass most of Gaza's main city on Monday, sparking intense fighting. Since June 27, Israel has issued three evacuation orders for Gaza City and one for southern Gaza, significantly escalating its military activities. The UN reported that tens of thousands of civilians have fled as a result.

Residents of Gaza City described "explosions and numerous gun battles" alongside helicopter strikes in southwestern neighborhoods overnight. Many civilians continued to leave the city, with some displaced multiple times, only to find their new refuges targeted again.

The UN Human Rights Office voiced its concern, describing the new evacuation orders as appalling. Many civilians, already forcibly displaced several times, were being directed to areas where Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) military operations were active, resulting in continued civilian casualties and injuries.

The office highlighted that those instructed to move west from central Gaza City on Monday encountered new fighting as the Israeli army intensified strikes in southern and western Gaza City, precisely in the areas designated as safe zones.

Residents have now been instructed to relocate to Deir al-Balah's central district, which the UN noted is already overcrowded with displaced Palestinians from other regions of the Gaza Strip.