An order to evacuate several neighborhoods of Khan Younis was also issued today by the Israeli army as it expands its operation in and around the city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip. The order said to “temporarily withdraw to the al-Mawashi humanitarian zone,” where tens of thousands of Palestinians have already been displaced.
One consequence of the evacuations is the narrowing of the humanitarian zone, forcing tens of thousands of people to live in cramped makeshift tents.
The UN Office for the Protection of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on Friday that more than 180,000 people have been displaced to escape the fighting in Khan Younis since Monday, when a new Israeli army operation in the area began following the discovery of the bodies of five hostages who were killed in the unprecedented attack carried out by Hamas militants in Israel on October 7.
The Israeli military on Monday ordered the evacuation of parts of Khan Younis, saying it launched the operation to end rocket fire from the area into Israel.
On Wednesday, he led a rescue operation in Khan Yunis and recovered the bodies of the five hostages, including two reservists and two recruits.
Of the 251 people kidnapped in the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil, 111 are still being held in the Gaza Strip and of those 39 are dead, according to the Israeli military.