The order suggests Khan Younis is likely to be the latest Israeli target in Gaza as it tries to regroup Hamas militants. Much of Khan Younis was destroyed in a sustained offensive earlier this year, but large numbers of Palestinians have moved back to escape another Israeli offensive in the southernmost city of Rafah.
The evacuation order covers the eastern half of Khan Younis and a large area in the southeastern corner of the Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, the Israeli military said a barrage of rockets fired into Gaza had been fired from Khan Younis.
Palestinians evacuated from Khan Younis overnight after an evacuation order from the Israeli army, July 1. Photo: AP
As night fell, a stream of people from Khan Younis began to move out of the evacuation zone. One woman pulled a wheeled suitcase with a young girl sitting on it. Others carried some essential belongings — mattresses, clothes, plastic buckets for washing, an electric fan. Trucks were loaded with furniture and belongings.
Israel has ordered residents to move to Muwasi, a coastal area designated by the Israeli military as a safe zone but now filled with crowded and unsanitary tent camps.
Israeli forces fought for weeks in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew, claiming to have destroyed Hamas battalions. But in other places where the military has made similar claims, new raids have occurred.
Last week, the army ordered an evacuation from the Shijaiyah district in northern Gaza and fierce fighting ensued.
On July 1, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was "making progress toward completing the phase of destroying the Hamas terrorist army". But he said the force would continue to "target their remains in the future".
If Khan Younis is the scene of more fighting, Palestinians could be further hampered in their access to much-needed drinking water. The area also encompasses the Kerem Shalom crossing, the main aid crossing into southern Gaza, and an aid route into the territory that Israel claims to protect.
Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes, many multiple times. Israeli restrictions, fighting and disruption of public order have hampered the delivery of humanitarian aid, causing widespread famine.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the new evacuation order "shows once again that there is no safe place in Gaza" for Palestinian civilians. "This is another stop in the deadly cycle that the people of Gaza are living through on a regular basis," he said in a statement calling for a ceasefire.
Hoai Phuong (according to AP)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/israel-ra-lenh-cho-nguoi-palestine-roi-khoi-khan-younis-bao-hieu-mot-cuoc-tan-cong-moi-post301996.html
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