Mohammed Salem/Reuters
Palestinians walk after fleeing eastern Khan Yunis after the Israeli military ordered them to evacuate the residential area in the southern Gaza Strip on July 22, 2024.
CNN
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The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders for residents of the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis and warned of “forceful operations” in nearby southern areas as it continues operations that have already forced tens of thousands of people to flee.
Khan Yunis has faced heavy shelling in recent days, with Israeli forces launching a new ground offensive earlier this week. killed The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned on Monday that they would scale back a so-called humanitarian zone in the east of the city after receiving intelligence that the militant group Hamas had infiltrated the area.
Fighting has been ongoing in Gaza for months and the renewed offensive shows Israel is struggling to achieve its goal of destroying Hamas. Israel has said about 100 of its fighters have been killed in recent fighting.
The UN estimates that around 150,000 people fled Khan Yunis on Monday alone, increasing pressure on scarce food, water and shelter.
Hinting that a new operation was imminent, the IDF posted on Telegram that it “will soon launch a powerful operation against terrorist organizations and therefore calls on remaining residents of the southern district of Khan Yunis to temporarily evacuate to the coordinated humanitarian area of Al-Mawasi.”
A witness in Khan Younis told CNN he “woke up to screams” as people fled the area after evacuation orders were issued.
Witnesses told CNN they could clearly hear crashes and explosions in Khan Younis and saw flares going up into the sky in the middle of the night. Witnesses said people were now fleeing the area.
The designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi has come under repeated Israeli attack, including on July 14. Reportedly 90 people were killed and more than 300 were injured.
The statement said the move was in retaliation for “large-scale terrorist activities and rocket attacks” that erupted from the southern city of Khan Yunis, adding that areas previously designated for humanitarian assistance would be “adjusted.”
Israel launched a military offensive into Gaza on October 7 after Hamas attacked southern Israel, leaving at least 1,200 people dead and more than 250 abducted, according to Israeli officials.
Mohammed Salem/Reuters
A man crouches near a fire as Palestinians flee eastern Khan Yunis after Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of Palestinian-populated areas, in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, July 22, 2024.
According to the Ministry of Health, Israeli military actions in Gaza have killed 39,090 Palestinians and injured 90,147. As of early July: Approximately 2 million people According to UN statistics, almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip has been forced to evacuate.
“The call for temporary evacuation is being conveyed to residents through SMS messages, recorded voice messages, telephone calls, Arabic language media broadcasts and leaflets,” the army said on Saturday, adding that early warning to civilians is being “taken to mitigate harm to civilians.”
Aid groups in Gaza have previously warned that the new set of evacuation orders will make it even harder to distribute emergency food.
“The people of Gaza are exhausted, living in inhuman conditions and completely unsafe,” the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East posted on X on Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday they had found the bodies of five Israeli hostages in a tunnel in the Khan Yunis area, which it had designated a “humanitarian zone” the previous day.
Despite the fighting, U.S. and Israeli officials expressed optimism. this week Regarding the possibility of a ceasefire and hostage agreement.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that both sides were “inside the 10-yard line, advancing toward the goal line.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was likely to send a negotiating team to talks in Rome next week.
Netanyahu visited Washington this week and met with Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who urged him to secure the deal.
“As I said to Prime Minister Netanyahu earlier, now is the time to get this deal done,” Harris said. “So to all of those who have been calling for a ceasefire, to all of those who long for peace, I see you, I hear you.”
