Israel orders Gazans to move in the first forced evacuation

Israeli forces have ordered dozens of Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since ‌last October's ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said on Tuesday the military was expanding the area under its control.
Residents of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Yunis, said the leaflets were dropped on families living in tent encampments in the Al Reqeb neighbourhood.
'Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately,” said the leaflets, written in Arabic, Hebrew and English, which the army dropped over the Al Reqeb neighbourhood in the town of Bani Suhaila.
In the two-year war before the US brokered ceasefire was signed in October, Israel ​dropped leaflets over areas that were subsequently raided or bombarded, forcing some families to move several times.
Residents and a source from Hamas ‌said this was the first time they had been dropped since then. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Virtually the entire population of more than ‍2 million people are confined to around ‌a third of Gaza's territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, where life has resumed.
RETHINK ON CENTRE
Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to a US military-led coordination centre for Gaza, saying it has failed to increase aid flows to the ‌war-shattered enclave or achieve political change, diplomats said.
The Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) was established in southern Israel in October under President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza. It was tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, facilitating the entry of aid and developing post-war policies for the Palestinian territory.
Dozens of countries, including Germany, France, Britain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, sent personnel, including military planners and intelligence officials, to the centre as they sought to influence discussions on Gaza's future.
But eight foreign diplomats said that officials from some European countries had not returned to the CMCC, located near the Gaza border, since the Christmas and New Year holidays. Several nations were questioning the purpose of the centre, ​with one Western diplomat describing it as 'directionless'.
'Everybody thinks it's a disaster, but there is no alternative,' said another Western diplomat.
The White House and US State Department did not respond to requests for comment on this story. - Agencies