Israeli tanks made a return to Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Friday, leading to the evacuation of families through crowded roads as Palestinian fighters continued their attacks on Israeli troops from the rubble, according to residents and the military. Thousands of individuals left eastern Khan Younis using various modes of transportation with their belongings piled on donkey carts and motorcycle rickshaws as they slowly moved along congested routes.
Over the past few weeks, Israeli forces, having previously occupied almost the entire Gaza Strip during more than ten months of conflict, have been revisiting the devastated areas where they claimed victory over Hamas fighters, while cautioning about the potential for reassembly. In the most recent offensive, the military distributed leaflets instructing residents and displaced individuals taking refuge in eastern Khan Younis, the primary southern city of Gaza, to vacate from an area that has witnessed multiple rounds of combat.
Families crowded into buses and cars, with many seeking safety in AlMawasi, a sandy area along the coast, despite some expressing concerns about attacks there despite its designation as a secure zone by Israeli forces. Um Raed Abu Elyan mentioned that she and her family were fleeing from danger with their children. When asked where they would go, she responded, “God only knows, we are currently on foot. They advised us to head to humanitarian zones, but there is no secure place left in Gaza. Everything is in ruins and damaged.”
Later that Friday, a reported Israeli airstrike resulted in the deaths of six Palestinians in AlMawasi, as per medics. Another strike on a nearby residence claimed the lives of four individuals, including a young girl, and left several others injured, as reported by sources. Israel has agreed to recommence talks on a Gaza ceasefire the following week at the behest of international negotiators, as announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, following extensive diplomatic endeavors to prevent a widespread conflict in the region. This development came subsequent to Iranian assertions of Israel’s intention to escalate war in the Middle East, in addition to repeated criticisms by Hamas militants, certain analysts, and dissenters within Israel accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza conflict.
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