Dozens of Palestinians have died, and thousands more have been displaced following a fresh ground assault by Israel targeting alleged Hamas positions in Khan Younis, a major city in southern Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Monday the reduction of its “humanitarian zone” and ordered Palestinians to evacuate eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis, citing intelligence that Hamas operatives were embedded in the area.
According to CNN, exhausted and enraged Palestinians fled the city. They expressed their frustration not only towards Israel but also towards Hamas and other Arab states.
The UN Human Rights Office condemned the evacuation order on Tuesday, calling it “confusing” and criticizing the lack of clarity on which areas needed to be evacuated and where people should go.
This ground incursion in Khan Younis follows similar operations in Shujayah in the north and central Gaza, aiming to prevent Hamas from reestablishing a presence.
As of Tuesday, the Hamas-run government media office reported 89 deaths and 263 injuries, with nearly 200 buildings bombed.
Streams of Palestinians were displaced by Israel’s renewed assault on Khan Younis on Monday, following the evacuation order.
Spokesman for Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, Dr. Mohammad Saqer, said on Tuesday that the hospital had issued death certificates for 75 Palestinians killed since Monday morning, most of whom were women and children.
He added that the hospital was treating over 200 injuries, with many in serious and critical condition, and he expected the death toll to rise.
The IDF stated on Tuesday that its aircraft struck over 50 terror infrastructure sites, including weapons storage facilities, observation posts, and tunnels used by Hamas, and killed “dozens of terrorists in targeted aerial strikes and close-quarters combat” in Rafah. CNN has not independently verified these claims.
Israel’s military offensive, launched on October 7 in response to a Hamas attack in southern Israel, has resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths and more than 250 abductions, according to Israeli authorities.
Since then, Israeli strikes have killed 39,090 Palestinians and injured another 90,147, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
CNN footage from Khan Younis on Monday showed thousands of people fleeing, many on foot or with donkey carts, carrying mattresses and belongings.
Most were women and children. One woman carrying a box screamed to the camera, “Film this, film it so people can see what’s happening to us.”
A young girl was seen crying and carrying a water bottle, walking through the destroyed street with her mother and siblings. The sound of nearby gunfire caused panic, with women and children screaming and running barefoot.
Mohammad Abdul Jawad told CNN, “The (Israeli) army called us in the morning, ordering people in Abasan, Khuzaa, Al Zanneh, Al Qarara, and Bani Sehaila to evacuate. It all happened suddenly. They said go to the safe area, but there is no safe area in all of the Gaza Strip. They are making fun of us.”
“We left everything, our tents and everything inside them. Where should we go now? It is very hot, we have no money or anything, and no one cares about us,” Jawad said, noting that Israeli tanks were about 500 meters away.
Palestinians at Nasser hospital carry children wounded by an Israeli strike on July 22. People displaced from Khan Younis expressed anger at Israel, Hamas, and Arab leaders.
Um Hazem Sammoun, walking with her children, asked, “Where are the Arab world and the Arab leaders? Let them come look at our children. We don’t know where we are going or where we are walking to. I didn’t want to leave, but when the warplanes and tanks started the bombardment, I was scared for my four children… I swear I am walking and don’t know where to go.”
Some evacuees also criticized Hamas. One woman lamented that, “Every day a new order to evacuate. There is no food, drinks, or safety. We are only evacuating from one place to another. Maybe we evacuate this life and never come back. Maybe this way Hamas will be happy. Hamas forced us to leave, not the Israelis.”
A visibly angry man addressed the Hamas leadership, “Do you see our suffering, Sinwar and Haniyeh? Until when? What do you want from us? What have you brought us?”
A mother, Riham Al Agha, holding her daughter’s hand, said, “We are tired, we are exhausted. It is enough. You (Hamas) are staying underground and keeping the people here to be destroyed.”
“Until when should we keep evacuating from one area to another?” Al Agha asked. “We have been evacuated 10 times since October 7. We want a solution. We are losing our children, that’s enough.”
However, much of the anger on the streets was also directed at Israel.
Abu Sleiman stated, “The (Israelis) forced us out naked like this, we are without any weapons. Let them throw their tanks and come confront us. We are men and we will die as men, not Hamas and not Fatah.”
He accused the Israeli military of having “no mercy or humanity. They are fighting civilians, women, and children.”
The evacuation order on Monday was communicated through leaflets, text messages, and social media posts, urging civilians in four southern Gaza municipalities to leave immediately. The IDF warned civilians in Khan Younis to “evacuate immediately westward to the new humanitarian zone,” deeming the area a dangerous combat zone.
The Gazan Civil Defense Directorate said the new evacuation order reduced the humanitarian zone from 45 to 28 square kilometers, with 1.7 million people now crammed into just under 50 square kilometers.
The Civil Defense also claimed that its rescuers in Khan Younis were targeted while trying to recover civilians.
Human rights agencies have previously warned against Israeli evacuation orders issued without providing safe accommodation for Palestinians.
On Monday, the UN Relief and Works Agency stated that the new evacuation orders in Khan Younis would cause “more suffering and displacement.”
The OHCHR on Tuesday raised concerns about Israel’s compliance with international law.
The agency said, “Confusing mass evacuation orders issued by a party that is concurrently increasing the intensity of its attacks on the areas from which evacuation is ordered and through which people must move place civilians in more danger and may increase the harm to civilians.”
Many displaced from Khan Younis have been forced to flee to Al-Mawasi, a tent city with limited infrastructure and scant access to humanitarian aid, raising serious concerns about Israel’s compliance with its obligation to minimize civilian harm.
