Updated August 29, 2024 at 11:19 AM ET
TEL AVIV, Israel 鈥� The Biden administration is urging Israel鈥檚 military to make major changes to its 鈥渄rastically increased鈥� pace of mass evacuation orders that is driving repeated displacement of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, according to a U.S. Embassy memo obtained by NPR.
For the first time since the war began last October, Israel鈥檚 military withdrew evacuation orders and announced Palestinian civilians could return to their homes in an area of central Gaza on Thursday, a day after the U.S. government memo said officials had urged Israel to rescind evacuation orders it no longer deems necessary. A spokesman for the Israeli military, Nadav Shoshani, told NPR it declared the area a safe zone again following operations thwarting militant rocket launchers and retrieving an Israeli hostage and the body of a soldier.
The Aug. 28 cable by the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, marked 鈥渟ensitive but not classified鈥� and addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department, contained an assessment by officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development on the effects of Israel鈥檚 evacuation orders on the Palestinian population.
The document recommends several 鈥渕itigating measures鈥� including that the Israeli military 鈥渞escind lapsed evacuation orders to allow greater freedom of movement, hold operations at least 48 hours after issuance of evacuation orders to enable populations to safely move, and protect humanitarian sites, ensuring ongoing accessibility.鈥�
The U.S. is concerned the Israeli military鈥檚 increasing evacuation orders in Gaza in the past month have driven repeated displacement of Palestinians and decreased the size of the Israeli-designated 鈥渉umanitarian zone鈥� for civilians, according to the document.
The State Department did not immediately respond to NPR for comment.
USAID said in a statement to NPR that while the agency does not comment on internal documents, "The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are incredibly dire, and the U.S. government is working relentlessly to increase assistance reaching the most vulnerable."
The Israeli military has issued at least 20 evacuation orders in Gaza since July 22, a drastically increased pace over the previous10 months of Israel鈥檚 ground offensive, according to the memo. Several of those evacuation orders have been in the so-called 鈥渉umanitarian zones,鈥� driving civilians into increasingly smaller areas deemed safe by the military. The U.N. estimates that is now under evacuation orders.
鈥淭he continuation of this pace of evacuation orders could debilitate remaining humanitarian operations in the enclave and, as a result, continued assistance to the 2.1 million people in dire need,鈥� the document says.
The 鈥渉umanitarian zones鈥� 鈥� which the document says have 鈥渓ong been problematic鈥� 鈥� are small slices of land that the Israeli military says will be safe for Palestinians to shelter from airstrikes and receive humanitarian aid. But Palestinians say that the spaces are crowded and squalid, with little access to clean water or bathrooms. Garbage piles up in these areas, leading to disease. Meanwhile, aid groups also say it has become to these areas.
The document also says repeated and often hurried evacuation orders have led to civilian harm. The Israeli military 鈥渉as issued evacuation orders under unsafe conditions and in quick succession and with little warning before operations begin, heightening protection risks,鈥� it states. It goes on to say that hostilities 鈥減osed significant protection risks to those complying with evacuation orders.鈥�
NPR has in Gaza who have described Israeli airstrikes hitting their area just hours after they were told to evacuate, forcing them to flee in haste and dangerous conditions.
鈥淚f these evacuation orders are meant to protect civilians, they are in fact doing the exact opposite,鈥� U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator Muhannad Hadi last week. 鈥淭hey are forcing families to flee again 鈥� often under fire and with the few belongings they can carry with them 鈥� into an ever-shrinking area that is overcrowded, polluted, lacking services.鈥�
The U.S., along with Qatar and Egypt, has been trying to inch Israel and Hamas closer to a cease-fire deal to eventually end the war in Gaza. While talks continued this week, mediators said they presented a proposal that bridges the gaps between the two sides. Israel and Hamas have yet to reach a deal.
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