GAZA CITY: Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 16 Palestinian civilians near Khan Younis, Gaza medics said on Monday, after Israel issued new orders to evacuate parts of a humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, citing renewed attacks from Hamas.
The Israeli military stated that adjustments to the boundaries of the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone were necessary to protect civilians from ongoing combat situations with Hamas. According to Palestinian health officials, the casualties occurred primarily in the town of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, where Israeli tank barrages and aerial bombardments struck, claiming the lives of six children and four women. Dozens more were reported wounded in the attacks.
The Gaza health ministry confirmed the casualties and noted that the fatalities are civilians. Hamas’s media sources claimed a higher death toll, stating that 26 people had been killed in the strikes.
“The situation in Gaza is dire, with no safe places left,” lamented Palestinian officials. Palestinian officials echoed concerns raised by the United Nations and international relief agencies regarding civilian safety amid the ongoing conflict.
Israel defended its actions, alleging that the strikes targeted armed militants, including high-ranking commanders of Hamas responsible for recent rocket attacks from eastern Khan Younis. These attacks prompted the evacuation orders, which notably excluded health institutions according to Palestinian sources.
The escalation has overwhelmed local medical facilities, such as Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where health officials urgently appealed for blood donations to cope with the influx of casualties. Eyewitnesses described scenes of devastation as ambulances and private vehicles transported the injured, including women and children, to hospitals.
In response to the Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian Civil Emergency Services reported difficulties in reaching additional casualties in the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis due to the intensity of the ongoing bombardment.
The violence extended beyond Khan Younis, with medics reporting Israeli airstrikes on residential houses in Al-Bureij and Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. These attacks resulted in several injuries, adding to the growing humanitarian crisis in the region.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire, led by Qatar and Egypt and supported by the United States, have thus far failed due to disagreements over terms between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday ordered a delegation charged with negotiating a hostage deal to be dispatched on Thursday, his office said, without giving the delegation’s destination. Netanyahu held a meeting on Sunday with the delegation and senior members of Israel’s defence establishment, it said.
