Gaza war
Israel’s army expands operations in Khan Yunis
Israel suspects that the leadership of the Islamist Hamas is hiding in Khan Yunis. photo
© Israel Defense Forces/XinHua/dpa
The Israeli army suspects that the Hamas leadership is hiding in Khan Yunis. The residents should seek safety in Rafah.
Israel’s army says it is expanding its operations in the area around the city of Khan Yunis in the south of the country Gaza Strip. The military initially did not provide further details about the plans in a statement.
Soldiers killed terrorists in Khan Yunis and the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, among other places, it said. “The troops eliminated dozens of terrorists through air strikes as well as sniper and tank fire.” There were dozens of armed Hamas members in the northern Gaza Strip. They were killed in various battles. The military’s information could not initially be independently verified.
Israel suspects that the leadership of the Islamist Hamas is hiding in Khan Yunis. The military had previously urged the city’s residents to seek safety in Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
The war was triggered by the worst massacre in Israel’s history, which terrorists from Hamas and other groups carried out in Israel on October 7th. Israel responded with massive air strikes and began a ground offensive in late October. In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the sealed-off coastal area and the high number of civilian casualties, Israel has recently come under increasing international pressure.