Israeli military orders evacuation in Khan Younis amid ongoing conflict
The Israeli military has issued a directive for Palestinians to temporarily evacuate southern neighborhoods in Gaza’s Khan Younis region. This move, aimed at allowing the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to conduct a “forceful operation,” includes relocating civilians to a designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi. The announcement was made on Saturday.
This escalation comes more than nine months after the start of Israel’s invasion of Gaza following the October 7 attack, highlighting the ongoing challenges the IDF faces in targeting militant groups amidst persistent resistance. Recent clashes in Khan Younis have seen Israeli forces engaging with Palestinian fighters, targeting tunnels and infrastructure used by militant groups, and contending with mortar fire.
According to Gaza health authorities, over 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, though this figure includes both fighters and non-combatants. Israeli officials estimate approximately 14,000 militant fighters from groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed or captured out of an estimated force of 25,000.
The IDF asserts that its evacuation orders were communicated through multiple channels to minimize civilian harm. However, U.N. and humanitarian officials have accused Israel of employing disproportionate force, a claim Israel denies, attributing civilian casualties to Hamas’s alleged practice of operating from densely populated areas.
The conflict has been marked by severe casualties on both sides, including the deaths of around 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 250 others during the Hamas-led raid on southern Israel on October 7.
