Israel army orders fresh evacuations in Gaza 'humanitarian safe zone'

The Israeli army ordered a fresh evacuation of areas in southern and central Gaza previously designated as a so-called humanitarian safe zone on Friday, claiming the areas had been used by Hamas as a base for firing mortars and rockets towards Israel.

It said warning flyers and text messages had been sent out in the area north of the southern city of Khan Younis and in the eastern part of Deir Al-Balah, where tens of thousands of people have sought shelter.

"The advance warning to civilians is being issued in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population and to enable civilians to move away from the combat zone," the military said in a statement.

Earlier the military claimed it had hit an area in Khan Younis from where rockets were fired towards the community of Kissufim on Thursday, finding weapons including shoulder-fired missiles and explosives.

The latest evacuation orders came as negotiators in Doha were due to meet for a second day of talks aimed at reaching a deal to halt the Gaza war and bring Israeli and foreign captives home.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced multiple times since the start of the Israeli war on the Palestinian enclave in October.

Even in the areas designated as humanitarian safe zones there have been regular reports of casualties from Israeli strikes.

Israel's ongoing war on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people, according to the coastal enclave's health ministry.

(Reuters, The New Arab)