Israel orders evacuation from Gaza town of Khan Younis, renewed fighting expected
Kyiv • UNN
Israel orders mass evacuation of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip, signaling a renewed ground offensive against Hamas militants.
The mass evacuation of Palestinians from most of Khan Younis is a sign that the IDF will launch a new ground offensive against the Gaza Strip's second largest city. Writes UNN citing France24.
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Judging by the evacuation order for the town, Khan Younis, the area will become the new target of Israeli army raids to pursue Hamas militants. Much of Khan Younis was destroyed in a long assault in early 2024, but large numbers of Palestinians have returned fleeing another Israeli offensive on Gaza's southernmost city, Rafah.
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A new Israeli army order to evacuate the town of Khan Younis in Gaza says that Khan Younis will be the target of a renewed military operation on Gaza. The order refers to the eastern half of Khan Younis, also affecting much of the southeastern part of the Gaza Strip. Israel ordered people to move to Muwasi, a coastal area designated by the Israeli army as a safe zone and filled with crowded and unsanitary tent camps.
Earlier, the Israeli army said a rocket salvo from Gaza was fired from Khan Younis.
Supplement
Last week, Israel's military ordered the evacuation of the northern Gaza neighborhood of Shijaya, and intense fighting ensued.
Netanyahu said Monday that the military "has made progress in completing the destruction phase of the Hamas terrorist army.
France24 writes that renewed fighting in the Khan Younis area could make it even more difficult for Palestinians to access drinking water. The evacuation zone includes a water pipeline that Israel laid after criticism over water cuts in the strip at the start of the war.
Also in the zone is the area around the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main crossing into southern Gaza, as well as the aid route inside the territory, which Israel said it would protect.