Israel has issued new evacuation orders in Gaza, intensifying the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians following a deadly airstrike on a school shelter in Gaza City that killed at least 90 people. The Israeli military claimed the strike targeted Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters using the area for attacks. Still, the incident has sparked international outrage and raised concerns about the escalating humanitarian crisis in the region. As the conflict continues, the situation in Gaza worsens, with most of its population displaced and living in increasingly dire conditions.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), expressed deep concern over the situation, stating that the people in Gaza are “trapped and have nowhere to go.” He described the dire conditions, where displaced individuals could only carry their children or a small bag of possessions as they moved towards overcrowded shelters that were already “overflowing with families,” as reported by Reuters. A resident of Khan Younis, Zaki Mohammad, supported the sentiment through TBS News, saying, “People are carrying their belongings, their children, their hopes and their fears, and running towards the unknown because there is no safe place.”  Additionally, the Israeli military reported that it had targeted approximately 30 Hamas military sites over the past 24 hours, including key military installations, anti-tank missile launching positions, and weapons storage locations. Meanwhile, Reuters stated that the armed wing of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for launching mortar bombs at Israeli forces gathering in the eastern parts of Khan Younis.

Forced evacuations under threat of violence raise critical questions about the ability to ensure the safety of civilians in a conflict zone where even designated “humanitarian zones” have been targeted. The international outcry following an airstrike on a school shelter that killed at least 90 people further heightens concerns about the protection of civilians and the proportionality of military action in densely populated areas. The continued displacement of thousands of residents, coupled with the lack of safe havens, points to a deepening crisis that requires urgent international intervention and a reassessment of strategies to prevent further civilian casualties and suffering.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has escalated dramatically following a large-scale Hamas attack on southern Israel, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages taken. Since the outbreak of the war, the Israeli offensive in Gaza has resulted in nearly 40,000 Palestinian deaths, primarily among civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry. In contrast, Israel reports that at least a third of these fatalities were fighters, and it has lost 329 soldiers in the conflict. Refer to our Crisis Index page for a detailed chronology of the events in the ongoing conflict.

The intensifying conflict in Gaza has drawn widespread international condemnation with calls for immediate intervention to halt the violence. China Daily Asia revealed that Qatar’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli bombing of the school, urging the dispatch of independent UN investigators to probe the targeting of schools and shelters. Similarly, Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs decried the “systematic indiscriminate shelling” and the killing of civilians, labeling it as clear evidence of Israel’s disregard for international law. Jordan’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks, describing them as blatant violations of international law and efforts to undermine peace negotiations. These international responses portray the urgent need for the global community to take unified and effective action to end the bloodshed and work toward a lasting peace. Without such intervention, the humanitarian crisis will only worsen, and the prospects for peace will remain distant.