Israel orders Khan Younis evacuation ahead of major offensive 

In a statement shared in Arabic, IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said,  “Terrorist organisations have brought you disaster. For your safety, evacuate immediately.” The order, one of the largest in recent months, also covers Bani Suhaila and Abasan.

The offensive is part of what the IDF has named Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which began on Saturday. According to hospitals in Gaza, more than 100 people have been killed in the past 24 hours.

A woman from Khan Younis told the BBC that the evacuation order was her “worst nightmare.” Another woman, already displaced in central Gaza, said: “I will not move because there is no place to go.”

The IDF said its objective is to “destroy the capabilities of terrorist organisations in this area.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message posted online that Israel intends to take control of the entire Gaza Strip. “We are engaged in massive fighting – intense and substantial – and there is progress,” he said. “We are going to take control of all areas of the Strip, that’s what we’re going to do.”

In the past 24 hours, the IDF said it has struck 160 targets across Gaza. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, an Israeli airstrike hit a warehouse containing medical supplies at Nasser Hospital overnight.

The UK-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians said the strike occurred “as Palestinians who were killed and wounded from other attacks were being brought to the hospital.” A spokesperson for the group told the BBC, “We are just seeing all our work being burned to ashes.”

Palestinian media reported that Israeli special forces entered a home in Khan Younis disguised in women’s clothing, killing one man and arresting his wife and child. Israeli media identified the man as Ahmad Sarhan, said to be a senior member of the Popular Resistance Committees, a group aligned with Hamas.

The IDF said its broader campaign aims to meet the objectives of the war, including the release of hostages and the defeat of Hamas.

However, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents families of those still held in Gaza, warned that the operations pose “grave and escalating dangers” to the hostages.

“Testimonies from released hostages describe significantly worsened treatment following military strikes, including physical abuse, restraint and reduced food,” the group said. Israel said on Sunday it would permit a “basic amount of food” into Gaza to prevent “a starvation crisis” after more than ten weeks of blockade.

The conflict began with the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. According to health authorities in Gaza, more than 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign.

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