Gaza’s Khan Younis Sees 70 Deaths as Israel Sends Tanks Back After Evacuation

Photo:  REUTERS

Israel Reenters Khan Younis: 70 Dead in Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict

Israel sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area after ordering evacuations in some districts, citing renewed militant attacks. The operation has resulted in the deaths of at least 70 Palestinians, according to Gaza medics. The tanks advanced more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) into Bani Suhaila, a densely populated area, forcing residents to flee under heavy fire.

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Medics reported that Palestinians were killed by tank shelling and aerial bombardments in Bani Suhaila and other towns on the eastern edge of Khan Younis. "It is like doomsday," said a resident, Abu Khaled, who spoke to Reuters via a chat app. "People are fleeing under fire, many are dead and wounded on the roads."

The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that the casualties include several women and children, with over 200 additional people wounded. The ministry's death toll does not differentiate between militants and civilians.

The Israeli military stated that evacuation orders for eastern Khan Younis were based on intelligence suggesting that militants were launching rockets from these areas and that Hamas was regrouping. The military claimed to have struck more than 30 terror infrastructure sites in Khan Younis, including one area from which a rocket was fired toward Nirim in southern Israel earlier in the day.

Approximately 400,000 people were living in the targeted areas, and many families began evacuating their homes with little notice. Some fled on donkey carts, while others carried their belongings on foot.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that two of its clinics in eastern Khan Younis were knocked out of service due to the ongoing offensive. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, people gathered outside the morgue to mourn their relatives. Ahmed Sammour, who lost several family members, lamented, "We are tired in Gaza, every day our children are martyred, every day, every moment."

In Deir Al-Balah, an Israeli airstrike hit a tent used by local journalists at Al-Aqsa Hospital, killing one journalist and injuring two others. This attack brings the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the Israeli offensive to 163.

Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders due to renewed militant attacks, including rocket launches from the targeted eastern Khan Younis areas. These orders did not include health institutions, according to Palestinians. The military also adjusted the boundaries of a humanitarian zone in coastal Al-Mawasi to keep civilians away from combat areas with Hamas.

The Gaza Civil Emergency Services reported that the Israeli adjustments have reduced the size of humanitarian-designated areas in southern and central Gaza from 65 square kilometers (25 square miles) to 48 square kilometers (18.5 square miles). Palestinian officials, the UN, and international relief agencies have stated that there is no safe place left in Gaza.

Health officials at Nasser Hospital urged residents to donate blood due to the influx of casualties. "A family, including children, were all torn to pieces while they were sleeping," said a man who arrived at the hospital with the bodies of his family members.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas following a cross-border assault on October 7, 2023, which resulted in 1,200 deaths and over 250 hostages taken. As of Monday, Gaza health authorities reported at least 39,006 Palestinian deaths in the retaliatory offensive.

Ceasefire efforts led by Qatar, Egypt, and supported by the US have stalled due to disagreements over terms between the conflicting parties.