Israel Calls for More Evacuations in Gaza After Rocket Fire by Militants

The Israeli military has issued a new evacuation order for certain residential areas in northwest Gaza, citing rocket fire from Palestinian militants targeting the nearby town of Ashkelon. These orders, announced on Monday, were a response to missile attacks that triggered air raid sirens in Ashkelon the previous day. According to the military, one rocket was intercepted, while another fell into the sea without causing any damage.

This evacuation order follows Israel’s directive to evacuate all of northern Gaza shortly after the outbreak of conflict triggered by the attack by Hamas on October 7. While many residents complied and moved south to find safety, approximately 300,000 people remained in the northern regions. These areas have suffered extensive damage due to ongoing Israeli air and ground operations, and they have been effectively surrounded and isolated since the conflict escalated in October.

In total, around 90% of Gaza’s population, which is approximately 2.3 million, has been displaced at some point during the eleven-month-long war. Hundreds of thousands have sought refuge in makeshift tent camps along the coastline, where they face dire conditions and a lack of basic public services.

In related developments, the situation in Syria has escalated following a series of Israeli airstrikes that reportedly resulted in 14 fatalities and injured over 40 people, according to Syrian state media. These strikes targeted various locations across central Syria late Sunday, damaging infrastructure such as highways and igniting fires.

The initial death toll reported by local hospitals was significantly lower, but by Monday morning, the Syrian state news agency SANA updated the count to 14 dead and 43 wounded, as indicated by hospital head Faysal Haydar. It remains unclear how many of the casualties were civilians and how many were militants involved in the conflict.

Reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in the U.K., suggest that one of the Israeli strikes aimed at a scientific research facility in Maysaf, along with other locations associated with Iranian militias and their weapon development programs in Syria. Additional reports indicated that strikes also occurred around the coastal city of Tartous, which is another critical site in the region.

Tensions have been high, and there has yet to be an official comment from the Israeli military regarding the recent strikes. It is known that Israel has conducted a significant number of operations targeting various sites in government-controlled areas of Syria over recent years. While these operations are frequently reported, Israel rarely discusses or acknowledges specific actions, particularly those involving Iranian-backed forces or Syrian military installations.

Israel remains committed to countering Iranian influence in Syria, viewing the entrenchment of Iranian forces as a direct threat to its national security. This ongoing conflict continues to result in significant casualties and further complicates an already volatile situation in the region.

This latest series of events highlights the dynamic and often dangerous nature of hostilities in both Gaza and Syria, where military actions can have far-reaching consequences for civilians caught in the crossfire and for the broader geopolitical landscape.