Jerusalem, 20 July, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Israel Defense Forces issued a new evacuation warning on Sunday for parts of southwest Deir al-Balah, ahead of its first ground operation in the central Gaza city since the war began.
Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, announced on X that Israeli forces are expanding into areas previously untouched by ground troops. “The IDF continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy’s capabilities and terror infrastructure,” he said. Civilians in the targeted zone are being urged to evacuate to the coastal Mawasi area.
This marks the first ground incursion into Deir al-Balah, a city that had remained one of the few relatively untouched by Israel’s ground forces. The IDF has previously avoided such areas amid concerns that Hamas could be holding hostages there and that they would be executed if troops operated there.
Deir al-Balah, located in the heart of the Gaza Strip, includes a large refugee camp and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital. Throughout the war, it became a refuge for displaced Palestinians fleeing fighting in the north and south, partly because the IDF had not operated there on the ground — though it has conducted airstrikes.
As of May, the IDF estimated about 350,000 Palestinians were living in central Gaza, but it remains unclear how many are currently in the newly designated evacuation zone.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 50 remaining hostages, around 30 are believed to be dead.
