Israeli Apache helicopter firing a missile.
Gaza Strip: Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Khan Yunis, Gaza’s second-largest city, on Tuesday morning in a bloody new phase of the war in Gaza. The attack was so horrific that after it, ambulances and private cars were seen taking the injured to the local hospital. Under US pressure to avoid heavy casualties, Israel has said that the attack is being carried out in a more precise manner. Israel is stepping up its offensive in southern Gaza after destroying much of the north. Aerial bombardments and ground attacks have already forced three-quarters of the region’s 2.3 million people to flee their homes.
‘My children have been in the debris since 10 pm’
Ambulances arrived at Nasir Hospital in Khan Younis overnight carrying dozens of injured people. At one point a car stopped and a man came out carrying a young boy covered in blood, whose arm had been blown off in the bombing. A woman outside the emergency department kept asking, ‘Where is the Red Cross?’ Where is the United Nations? My children are still in the debris since 10 pm. Satellite images taken on Sunday showed tanks and soldiers gathering outside Khan Yunis, the latest target of the offensive. Before the war, this area was home to more than 4 lakh people.
Most of Gaza’s population depends on UN
Just as Israel had asked people to leave the northern areas, it has ordered the evacuation of people from about two dozen surrounding areas instead of the entire area. Most of Gaza’s population is already at the mercy of the UN in the south, so there are only a few places left to be evacuated. Israel has stopped people who fled the North at the beginning of the war from returning there. Palestinians said that Israeli attacks are continuing in this area, so there is no area left where they feel safe. Many fear that if they leave their homes they will never be allowed to return.
‘Hamas is making people human shield’
Israel says that to prevent an attack like October 7 from happening again, Hamas’s military infrastructure will have to be destroyed and it will have to be removed from power. The surprise attack by Hamas and other Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 men, women and children hostage. The Israeli military accused Hamas of using civilians as ‘human shields’. The Israeli military said Hamas fights in populated areas where it has built tunnels, bunkers, rocket launchers and sniper positions.
People were seen crying and screaming after the Israeli attack.
‘It was as if lightning was flashing in the sky’
The Israeli army said 84 of its soldiers had been killed in the Gaza offensive. According to evacuation maps released by the Israeli army, since the end of the ceasefire, the army has ordered the evacuation of the population from about 62 square kilometers of Khan Yunis and its surrounding area. Due to continuous bombardment near Khan Yunis, there were repeated flashes of lightning in the sky of the city on Monday evening. Leaflets dropped by Israeli forces warned people to head south towards the Egyptian border. However, they cannot even leave Gaza because both Israel and neighboring Egypt have refused to accept any refugees.
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