At least 60,000 Israelis displaced since start of war

The evacuation of Sderot’s entire population marks the first time in Israeli history that the government has temporarily resettled the residents of a city due to a war.

By World Israel News Staff

At least 60,000 Israelis have been forced to flee from their homes since the Hamas incursion and almost nonstop rocket fire on Negev communities that began on October 7th, Hebrew-language TV reported.

After a massacre in which dozens of residents were gunned down by Hamas terrorists in the streets and constant rocket fire on civilian homes, the Israeli army evacuated the entire city of Sderot on Sunday.

Scores of buses came to retrieve residents of the Negev city, which has a population of about 30,000. Some two-thirds of residents are believed to have already left the city in previous days.

The evacuation of Sderot’s entire population marks the first time in Israeli history that the government has temporarily resettled the residents of a city due to a war.

According to Channel 12 News, an evacuation order aimed at residents of all communities with 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) of the border with Gaza, plus the emptying of Sderot, means that there are at least 60,000 Israelis who are now internally displaced.

Notably, that number does not include those from nearby Negev cities such as Netivot and Ofakim, which are slightly further away from the Strip but whose residents also suffered heavy casualties during the Hamas invasion and ongoing rocket fire.

There are likely tens of thousands of residents of those cities who are not being counted in the official numbers of the displaced, because they were not officially ordered by the IDF or government to leave.

Additionally, after two soldiers and one civilian were killed by Hezbollah missiles in recent days, the IDF is similarly working to evacuate residents within 4 kilometers of the northern border with Lebanon.

The area has already been declared a closed military zone, meaning that civilians cannot enter the region, and the military is currently working on plans to move residents within the zone.

While it’s unclear exactly how many Israelis are subject to the order, it is thought to include tens of thousands of citizens.