GAZA: The Gaza health ministry, overseen by Hamas, announced on Monday that an Israeli operation in Khan Yunis, the main city in southern Gaza, resulted in 70 deaths and over 200 injuries. This followed Israel's warning of forceful military actions in the area.
Thousands of Palestinians evacuated southern Gaza, including the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, in response to the Israeli army's temporary evacuation order for parts of Khan Yunis.
Israel's military stated that the operation aimed to curb rocket fire from the area, which had experienced heavy fighting earlier this year. This incident occurred just days after a reported 92 deaths in Al-Mawasi from an Israeli strike targeting a Hamas commander.
On Monday, Gaza's civil defense agency reported 12 deaths in Gaza City and four more in the Jabalia refugee camp.
Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza with the objective of dismantling Hamas, focusing on areas previously declared free of militants. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure to negotiate a truce and a hostage-release deal, arrived in Washington on Monday to address the US Congress. He is scheduled to meet President Joe Biden, who has urged for a ceasefire over nine months into the conflict initiated by Hamas's October 7 attacks on Israel.
In late June, Netanyahu indicated that the war's "intense phase" was nearing its end. The evacuation order for Al-Mawasi came just two months after the military had directed Palestinians there for their safety.
"Due to the Israeli occupation's attacks and massacres in Khan Yunis governorate from early hours of this morning until now, 70 people have been martyred and more than 200 wounded," stated the Gaza health ministry. The Israeli military did not comment on the toll but confirmed that fighter jets and tanks had "struck and eliminated terrorists in the area," targeting more than "30 terror infrastructure" sites in Khan Yunis. Israeli warplanes also targeted a weapons storage facility, observation posts, tunnel shafts, and structures used by Hamas militants.
Palestinians, facing displacement once more, crowded the streets of Khan Yunis with vehicles, carts, and on foot, carrying their belongings. Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel led to 1,197 deaths, mostly civilians, and the abduction of 251 hostages, of which 116 remain in Gaza, including 44 declared dead by the Israeli military.
Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has resulted in over 39,000 deaths, predominantly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region.
Yussef Abu Taimah from Al-Qarara in Khan Yunis described the overcrowding in the humanitarian zone, saying, "Even the sidewalks are full of people and tents. We are tired and fed up. Enough of this displacement and migration."
Months of intermittent talks for a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap since November have seen little progress. Netanyahu will address Congress on Wednesday amid strained US-Israel relations. The Israeli leader has resisted ceasefire pressures from the Biden administration, which faces backlash over Gaza's civilian toll and ongoing protests in Israel.
Biden pledged continued efforts to find a solution during his final months in office, emphasizing collaboration with Israelis and Palestinians to end the war and achieve peace in the Middle East. During his visit, Netanyahu will also meet US Vice President Kamala Harris, poised to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket.
Regional violence has surged with the Gaza conflict. On Saturday, Israel launched its first attack on Yemen in response to a Huthi drone strike on Tel Aviv. Further hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli military also occurred over the weekend along the Lebanon border.
An Israeli delegation is set to visit Doha on Thursday to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange, with Egypt, Qatar, and the US facilitating negotiations.
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