GAZA CITY, Palestine/ANKARA

The Israeli army destroyed a camp for displaced Palestinians in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza on Thursday, local sources and witnesses told Anadolu.

Three airstrikes targeted the Al-Munasara refugee camp, which houses around 200 displaced families near the College of Da’wa and close to the Al-Aqsa Hospital, the sources said.

Witnesses said the Israeli army issued an immediate evacuation order to some camp residents via phone calls, causing widespread panic among the displaced families.

“The airstrikes completely destroyed tents and belongings of the displaced families, who had no time to move their possessions,” an eyewitness said.

He said roughly 200 families are now left homeless.

A medical source at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed that several people sustained injuries from the strikes.

On Aug. 8, Israel’s Security Cabinet approved a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to gradually reoccupy the Gaza Strip, beginning with Gaza City.

The plan envisions forcing nearly 1 million Palestinians southward, encircling the city, and carrying out ground raids into residential districts.

On Aug. 11, as part of the first steps, the Israeli army launched a wide assault on the Zeitoun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City. Witnesses said the operation involved blowing up homes with explosive-laden robots, artillery fire, indiscriminate shooting, and mass displacement.

Israel has killed nearly 62,200 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.