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Israel military strikes city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza after ordering evacuations Palestinians flee Khan Younis as eight reported dead after Israeli strikes
(about 5 hours later)
Hundreds flee the territory’s second-largest city after warnings from the IDF amid fears of a fresh ground assault on the city IDF bombards ruined city and orders mass evacuation after rocket barrage claimed by Islamic Jihad
Israel carried out fresh strikes in southern Gaza on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of Palestinians to flee after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) once again ordered a mass evacuation of much of Khan Younis. Hundreds of Palestinians were fleeing Khan Younis in southern Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) once again bombarded the largely ruined city and ordered a mass evacuation of residents.
Witnesses reported multiple strikes in and around the city, where eight people were killed and more than 30 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent and a medical source, reported Agence France-Presse. Witnesses reported strikes on Tuesday in and around the city, where eight people were killed and more than 30 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent and a medical source, Agence France-Presse said.
The strikes came after a rare rocket barrage claimed by the militant group Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas. The attacks came after a rare rocket barrage on Monday claimed by the militant group Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas.
The Israeli military said about “20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis”, most of which were intercepted. It reported no casualties and said artillery was “striking the sources of the fire”.The Israeli military said about “20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis”, most of which were intercepted. It reported no casualties and said artillery was “striking the sources of the fire”.
Israel’s strikes prompted warnings that troops could launch a new ground assault on the territory’s second-largest city. The bombardment and evacuation orders suggested that troops could launch a new ground assault on the territory’s second-largest city. Israeli forces fought for weeks in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew, claiming to have destroyed Hamas battalions.
“For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone,” army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X, in a call to residents and displaced people living in those areas. “For your safety, you must evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone,” the army spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X, addressing residents and displaced people.
Monday’s evacuation order covered the eastern half of Khan Younis and a large swath of the Gaza Strip’s south-eastern corner. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said the IDF is “making progress toward ending the phase of the destruction of Hamas’s terror army”, but that “there will be a continuation to strike its remnants”.
Residents in some neighbourhoods said they had received audio messages from Israeli phone numbers ordering them to leave their homes. “We received a message on our mobile phones” to evacuate, said one displaced woman Zeinab Abu Jazar, holding back tears. Israeli military officials have described a shift to a third phase of the fighting in Gaza, with intermittent raids from troops based at strategic locations within the territory replacing the major offensives seen in recent months.
Israel’s army told people to move to al-Mawasi, a coastal area designated by the IDF as a safe zone and which has become filled with crowded and unsanitary tent camps. Monday’s evacuation order also covered much of the Gaza Strip’s south-eastern corner, including the towns of Al-Qarara and Bani Suhaila.
The Bani Suhaila resident Ahmad Najjar said the Israeli order had led to “fear and extreme anxiety”, and “a large displacement of residents”.
Israel’s army told people to move to al-Mawasi, a coastal area designated by the IDF as a safe zone, which has become filled with crowded and unsanitary tent camps.
International aid organisations report that the zone is massively congested and suffers acute shortages of water. Sanitation is almost non-existent, and raw sewage and mountains of rubbish have led to soaring infections of disease.
The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the new evacuation order “just shows yet again that no place is safe in Gaza” for Palestinian civilians. “It’s another stop in this deadly circular movement that the population in Gaza has to undergo on a regular basis,” he said in a statement calling for a ceasefire.The UN secretary general, António Guterres, said the new evacuation order “just shows yet again that no place is safe in Gaza” for Palestinian civilians. “It’s another stop in this deadly circular movement that the population in Gaza has to undergo on a regular basis,” he said in a statement calling for a ceasefire.
Much of Khan Younis was destroyed in a long assault earlier this year, but large numbers of Palestinians had moved back to escape another Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah. Much of Khan Younis was destroyed in a long assault this year, but large numbers of Palestinians had moved back to escape another Israeli offensive in Gaza’s southernmost city, Rafah.
As night fell, streams of civilians left the city on foot beside a steady flow of vehicles, as people began making their way out of the evacuation zone. Israeli forces have been sent back into parts of Gaza where there was fierce fighting earlier in the conflict. Analysts and officials have said Hamas has been able to reform its fighting units in pockets of the north and centre of the territory.
The order suggested a new assault into the city was possible. Israeli forces fought for weeks in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew, claiming to have destroyed Hamas battalions. Despite suffering significant losses, the senior leadership of the militant Islamist organisation remains unharmed.
Last week, the military ordered an evacuation from the northern Gaza district of Shijaiyah and intensive fighting followed soon after. Last week, the Israeli military ordered an evacuation from the northern Gaza district of Shuja’iya, which has been the focus of Israeli offensives, and intense fighting followed soon after.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said on Monday the military was “making progress toward ending the phase of the destruction of Hamas’ terror army”. But he said “there will be a continuation to strike its remnants”. The military said its forces were operating in northern and central Gaza as well as in Rafah, where aircraft carried out strikes and troops “ambushed an armed terrorist squad” in a car and killed them.
More fighting in the Khan Younis area could further hamper Palestinians’ access to much-needed aid. The area surrounding the Kerem Shalom crossing, the major aid crossing to southern Gaza, is in the evacuation zone. In Shuja’iya, Palestinian militants “were eliminated and dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites above and below ground were dismantled, including tunnel shafts”, it added.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many displaced multiple times. Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of public order have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fuelling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine. In central Gaza, witnesses said strikes hit the Nuseirat refugee camp where the Palestinian Red Crescent reported at least one dead, a child.
Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report A fresh offensive in the Khan Younis area could further hamper Palestinians’ access to much-needed aid. The area surrounding the Kerem Shalom crossing, the major aid crossing to southern Gaza, is in the evacuation zone.
Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many repeatedly displaced. Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of public order have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fuelling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.
Hamas’s 7 October attack on southern Israel that triggered the war has resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people, mostly civilians.
The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza, including 42 the IDF says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive aimed at eradicating the Palestinian militants in Gaza has killed at least 37,900 people, according to Palestinian officials. About half of those fully identified so far are women or children.
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report