Israeli army divides Gaza into evacuation "blocks" amid escalating tensions

Shafaq News/ The Israeli army announced on Friday the division of the Gaza Strip into designated "blocks" as part of its preparations for the following stages of the ongoing conflict.

Residents are requested to evacuate specific areas during military operations, with the division intended to facilitate the process based on numbered zones. The move is justified by the Israeli army, citing concerns that Hamas is allegedly using Gaza residents as human shields.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee shared the development on X, stating, "In preparation for the next stages of the war, the IDF is publishing a map of the evacuation zones (blocks) in the Gaza Strip." Adraee clarified that the division of Gaza's land into areas corresponds to well-known neighborhoods, providing Gazans with designated safe zones when evacuation orders are issued.

The army, emphasizing its commitment to minimizing civilian casualties, explained that it had implemented various measures to avoid harm to civilian lives since the commencement of the conflict. Still, so far, more than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed, with most are children and women.

A detailed map of the evacuation blocks has been made available on the army's official website.

The resumption of hostilities witnessed Israeli warplanes bombing the Gaza Strip once again, prompting Palestinian civilians to seek refuge. Sirens blared in southern Israel as the conflict resumed following the collapse of a week-long truce without an agreement to extend it. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 32 casualties since the truce ended earlier on Friday morning, underscoring the alarming toll on civilian lives amid the renewed hostilities.