Israel expands Gaza invasion south, forcing many to flee areas previously considered safe

Geoff Bennett:

The focus of Israel's invasion and air campaign in Gaza is shifting south, where roughly two million Gazans have fled, and there are few safe places left for them to go.

Amna Nawaz:

The death toll in Gaza is nearing 16,000, mostly women and children. That's according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.

Since Israel's ground operations began, 81 of its troops have died in Gaza. Aid deliveries are continuing, but in lower numbers since last week's truce ended, providing little relief to the civilians trapped there.

In Southern Gaza, Palestinians are packing up and fleeing the same areas Israel once said were safe. Evacuations like this have become all too familiar for some, like Hamdi Zaheer.

Hamdi Zaheer, Displaced From Northern Gaza (through interpreter):

Two to three journeys in the war. I headed out to Al Shifa Hospital in the north. Then the Israeli army said we have to move to the safe areas in the south. Today, again, we are evacuating.

Amna Nawaz:

They're trying to escape Israel's bombardment from the air and its invasion the ground. Israel says it's now shifting more of its focus south.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Spokesperson, Israeli Defense Forces:

We pursued them in Northern Gaza. We're now pursuing Hamas in Southern Gaza too.

Amna Nawaz:

The IDF reports it hit some 200 targets by air overnight. By daybreak, Gazans on the ground, including children, were sifting through piles of rubble.

Nesrine Abdelmoty lives with her daughter and her 2-year-old baby in Khan Yunis. She says they were asleep on the floor when an airstrike hit their home.

Nesrine Abdelmoty, Gaza Strip Resident (through interpreter):

We were sleeping at 5:00 a.m. when we felt things collapse. Everything went upside down. Even Khan Yunis is not safe now. Where do they want us to go?

Amna Nawaz:

Israel says it's trying to tell Gazans where to go now. This weekend, the IDF released a live map accessible via a smartphone that divides Gaza into small sections, telling civilians which areas are current targets.

But with limited Internet, many Gazans can't even access the map, and Israel has repeatedly hit areas it deemed safe before. This all comes after the weeklong pause in fighting ended abruptly last Friday. Israel says Hamas violated it by firing rockets. The truce saw the exchange of 105 Israelis and foreigners held hostage in Gaza for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.

Israel pulled out of hostage negotiations in Qatar on Saturday, saying talks had hit a dead end. An estimated 135 hostages remain in Gaza, mostly men. But Israel and the U.S. also believe many women are still being held by Hamas. And State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller today gave one reason they may remain captive, the possibility of sexual violence.

Matthew Miller, State Department Spokesman:

It seems one of the reasons they don't want to turn women over that they have been holding hostage and the reason this pause fell apart is they don't want those women to be able to talk about what happened to them during their time in custody.

Amna Nawaz:

At a news conference in Tel Aviv, family members of Israelis still held captive expressed frustration toward their government.

Shelly Shem-Tov's son Omer was kidnapped at the Nova Music Festival on October 7.

Shelly Shem Tov, Mother of Israeli Hostage (through interpreter): Look me in the eyes. Your children could have been like ours. Would you have waited 59 days to bring them home? Look us in the eyes. Where are you?

Amna Nawaz:

And over the weekend, Biden administration officials delivered their sharpest criticism of Israel's campaign in Gaza yet. Vice President Kamala Harris at the U.N. climate summit in Dubai:

Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States: Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating. We believe Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.

Amna Nawaz:

And Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a defense forum in California.

Lloyd Austin, U.S. Secretary of Defense: You see, in this kind of a fight, the center of gravity is the civilian population. And if you drive them into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat.

Amna Nawaz:

Also over the weekend, concerns of the war sparking a broader regional conflict. The U.S. military said that three commercial ships in the Southern Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Yemen on Sunday.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility. They say they were targeting Israeli vessels, although none of the vessels nor crews were Israeli.

Gen. Yahya Sarea, Houthi Military in Yemen (through interpreter): The Yemeni armed forces continued to prevent Israeli ships from navigating in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brethren in the Gaza Strip ceases.

Amna Nawaz:

The U.S. military also said its own vessel, the USS Carney, shot down several drones in self-defense during the attacks, but it was unclear if the ship was a target.