The Israeli war machine continues its operations across the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians face further displacement and the destruction of homes and entire residential blocks amid relentless airstrikes, artillery shelling, demolitions and the expansion of the so-called Yellow Line. Dozens of Palestinians have been forced to flee al-Masdar village, east of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, as Israeli ground incursions expand by the day. They joined hundreds of others recently displaced from the village and surrounding areas east of Deir al-Balah and south of Maghazi refugee camp, seeking refuge west of Salah al-Din Road. A field source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli forces, assisted by armed gangs, had spent more than 10 days bulldozing, destroying and burning homes before blowing them up, forcing families to flee to western Deir al-Balah without allowing them to take any of their belongings. Hundreds of Palestinians have been displaced during that period under difficult humanitarian conditions, the source added. On some days, residents were warned to evacuate. On others, Israeli forces suddenly surrounded them, questioned them and detained some, subjecting them to torture. According to information available to the source, one person was killed and his body subsequently handed over. The fate of approximately 13 others remains unknown, while some detainees were later released. The source explained that Israeli forces were expanding their security control by pushing the Yellow Line farther west, taking over additional stretches of territory extending hundreds of meters. They also destroyed the headquarters of the al-Masdar Association and have concentrated engineering operations around the village cemetery over the past two days. The source reported the excavation of a trench and the construction of a large earthen berm, similar to fortifications established by Israeli forces in other eastern areas of the Gaza Strip. UN Documents Expansion of Israeli Military Deployment The UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories said it had documented a westward expansion of Israeli military deployment areas over the past two weeks, resulting in fresh displacement in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood and areas east of Bureij, Deir al-Balah and Maghazi in central Gaza. According to the office, the westward ground advance in Shujaiya was accompanied by at least two attacks on displacement camps and the demolition of some of the few buildings still standing in the area, with Palestinian witnesses reporting the use of explosive-laden robots. The office said Palestinians in Gaza were finding themselves surrounded by Israeli forces that continued to push them farther inward, as part of a stated objective to expand Israeli military deployment to 70% of the territory. It explained that the continued shrinking of areas available to civilians was accompanied by new waves of displacement in locations bordering Israeli military positions, known as the Yellow Line. Airstrikes Destroy Homes and Educational Facilities The developments come amid continued airstrikes targeting homes in residential blocks across Gaza. Late Thursday, Israeli warplanes destroyed a three-story residential building in the Saftawi neighborhood, north of Gaza City, after Israeli intelligence officers ordered residents of the building and surrounding area, extending hundreds of meters, to evacuate. Families were given only minutes to leave and were not permitted to retrieve their belongings before the building was destroyed. Nearby homes also sustained damage, leaving several families without shelter. Gaza’s Education Ministry said the bombing destroyed the Little Smile Kindergarten and the neighboring Al-Zahraa Private School, depriving hundreds of students of access to education. In a separate attack, Israeli warplanes struck a house in Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza after Israeli intelligence officers ordered residents of the entire surrounding residential block to evacuate. The strike caused extensive damage to numerous nearby homes, forcing residents to flee after losing their only shelter. The Israeli military said the two strikes targeted weapons warehouses belonging to Hamas. The military routinely makes similar claims following strikes on homes in residential blocks still standing in Gaza, saying it is destroying weapons depots and military equipment stored there by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Both groups consistently deny the allegations and accuse Israel of deliberately destroying the remaining homes in the territory amid continued violations of the declared ceasefire agreement. Further Casualties Reported On Friday afternoon, medical teams recovered the body of a Palestinian from the al-Waha area, northwest of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, several days after an Israeli drone targeted him there. Several Palestinians were wounded Friday by explosives dropped from Israeli quadcopter drones, as well as artillery shelling and gunfire from military vehicles in areas near the Yellow Line. Four Palestinians were killed Thursday, including two in an airstrike on a vehicle in Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, another by gunfire in southern Gaza and a fourth in a shooting in Jabalia refugee camp.
