Thousands of Palestinians Flee Southern Gaza Amid Israeli Bombardment

On Tuesday, Israeli forces bombed multiple areas in the southern Gaza Strip, causing thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes. This could be part of a final push in Israel’s intense military operations that have been ongoing for nine months. Health officials reported that eight Palestinians were killed and dozens were injured. The Israeli military also mentioned that two of their soldiers were killed in battle the previous day.

Israel’s leaders have announced that they are winding down the phase of intense fighting against Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2007. They plan to shift to more targeted operations soon.

Later on Tuesday, 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli tank shelling in the densely populated Zeitoun neighborhood in Gaza City. Footage on Palestinian social media showed a local market scene with bread scattered on a blood-stained floor, although Reuters could not immediately verify this.

The Israeli army had ordered residents of several towns and villages in eastern Khan Younis to evacuate their homes on Monday. Thousands who did not heed the call were forced to flee in the dark overnight as Israeli tanks and planes bombed areas like Karara and Abassan, which were named in the evacuation orders.

“Where will we go?” asked Tamer, a 55-year-old businessman who has been displaced six times since October 7. “Every time people go back to their homes and start to rebuild, the occupation sends tanks back to destroy what is left,” he told Reuters via a chat app.

The Israeli military said its forces targeted areas in Khan Younis from where around 20 rockets had been fired on Monday. They struck weapon storage facilities and operational centers, and claimed measures were taken to ensure civilians could evacuate before the strikes. The military accused Hamas of using civilian infrastructure and people as human shields, a claim Hamas denies. Islamic Jihad, an allied group of Hamas, claimed responsibility for firing the rockets.

Endgame in Rafah

The war in Gaza began on October 7 when Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages back into Gaza. In retaliation, Israel launched an offensive that has killed nearly 38,000 people, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, but officials say most of the dead are civilians. Israel claims that at least a third of the Palestinian dead are fighters and that 320 of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza.

The European Gaza Hospital, which serves both Khan Younis and Rafah, was within the areas subject to evacuation orders. Medical officials had to evacuate patients and families who had taken shelter there. Some residents moved west towards the Mawasi area by the beach, designated as a humanitarian area but overcrowded with displaced families. Some people had to sleep in the street as they couldn’t find shelter.

Israel says its operation in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, aimed at eliminating Hamas in its final stronghold, will soon be concluded. After the intense phase of the war, Israeli forces will focus on smaller-scale operations to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is nearing its goal of destroying Hamas’s military capabilities, but less intense operations will continue. Hamas and Islamic Jihad continue to attack Israeli forces in Gaza and fire rockets into Israel. Hamas claims Israel has failed to achieve its war goals and is prepared to fight for years.

Efforts to secure a ceasefire and release hostages in Gaza have stalled. Hamas insists any deal must end the war and result in a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, while Israel is only willing to accept temporary pauses in fighting until Hamas is eradicated.

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Alex Richardson)