Israel orders families to flee in first forced displacement threats since Gaza 'ceasefire'

Israel ordered the displacement of dozens of families from a village in southern Gaza on Wednesday, marking the first forced evacuation since a ceasefire agreement was signed in October and signalling a renewed escalation on the ground.

Residents of Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis, said the Israeli military dropped leaflets over a displacement camp ordering families to leave the area, according to Reuters.

"Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately," the leaflets read.

Bani Suheila lies close to the Yellow Line separating Israeli-occupied territory from the rest of Gaza.

The Israeli military confirmed it had dropped the leaflets but claimed they were not intended to displace residents, without explaining the warning language used.

Israel has forcibly displaced more than 90 percent of Gaza's 2.2 million population during its assault on the territory, issuing hundreds of so-called evacuation orders that have driven thousands of people from their homes at a time.

The latest displacement order came as Israeli forces continued attacks across the Strip. The army blew up residential buildings near the Zayed Towers in northern Gaza, while shelling and gunfire were reported in Al Bureij refugee camp and areas east of Khan Younis.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel has continued near-daily military operations and restrictions on aid delivery. The Gaza Government Media Office says it has documented more than 1,300 violations of the truce during the 100 days it has been in effect.

More than 480 Palestinians have been killed and 1,287 wounded by Israeli forces during that period, according to the office. Israeli troops have also continued to demolish thousands of buildings, flattening entire neighbourhoods across both Israeli-occupied and Hamas-controlled areas.

Ceasefire monitoring 'disaster'

Meanwhile, concerns are growing over the collapse of international efforts to monitor the ceasefire. Several European countries are considering reducing their presence or withdrawing entirely from a US-led Civil Military Coordination Centre in Israel, diplomats told Reuters.

Britain, France and Germany are among the countries that sent officials to the centre after the ceasefire began. Eight diplomats said the initiative has failed to uphold the truce, with one describing it as "directionless".

"Everybody thinks it's a disaster, but there is no alternative," another Western diplomat said.

No other option

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Tuesday that Israeli forces must withdraw from Gaza for the ceasefire to progress.

"The killing is continuing. We have a ceasefire, but it is not a complete ceasefire where everything is peaceful," he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that withdrawal was necessary to defuse tensions.

Israel has meanwhile pressed the United States to exclude Qatar and Turkey from the international committee overseeing Gaza’s reconstruction, after both were granted seats by the White House, angering Israel’s far-right government.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had accepted an invitation from US President Donald Trump to join a Trump-led “Board of Peace”, a body critics fear could sideline the United Nations in Gaza’s future governance.