A sweeping new evacuation order by Israel’s military covers much of northern Gaza, warning residents that these areas will soon turn into dangerous combat zones.

Many of the inhabitants have already been displaced at least once during the war that began almost 20 months ago and little humanitarian aid has been reaching the area, where hunger is widespread.

“From this moment on, the mentioned areas will be considered dangerous combat zones”, Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-language spokesman for the Israeli military, said in a statement on social media late Thursday. He said residents of northern Gaza had been warned several times to leave.

Northern Gaza is home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. But most humanitarian aid has not been reaching the area for months.

Three aid distribution centres set up this week by an Israeli and US-backed system to bypass Hamas militants are all in southern and central Gaza. The UN and other aid organisations have declined to cooperate with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

New York Times News Service