Israeli forces continued their air and ground bombardment of southern Gaza Strip while ordering mass evacuations. According to residents and journalists on the ground, the intense Israeli air strikes in the south included areas where Israel had told people to seek shelter. Since the collapse of a week-long truce on Friday, Israel has advanced deep into the southern half of the densely populated coastal enclave that it primarily captured in November.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group’s armed wing, allied with Hamas, reported fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers north and east of Gaza’s main southern city, Khan Younis. Israeli tanks reportedly cut off the main north-south route as they drove into Gaza across the border. The central road out of Khan Younis to the north was closed by the Israeli military, who said it “constitutes a battlefield” now.
Israel confirmed the deaths of three soldiers during a day of fierce battling with Hamas terrorists. Since the start of the military’s ground invasion, seventy-eight soldiers have died in Gaza. The Israeli assault against Hamas was in retaliation for a cross-border attack by the terrorist organization on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people dead and 240 hostages taken—marking the deadliest single day in Israel’s history.
Israel ordered Palestinians to leave parts of Khan Younis, directing them to evacuate towards the Mediterranean coast and towards Rafah, a town near the Egyptian border. In response, a State Department spokesperson in Washington said it was an “improvement” that Israel was targeting evacuations in specific areas rather than entire cities. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the U.S. expected Israel to refrain from attacking areas identified as “no-strike” zones in Gaza.
An Israeli official stressed the country’s efforts to limit civilian casualties, acknowledging that they could not be ruled out altogether. Over 100 hostages seized by Iran-backed Hamas were freed during a seven-day truce last month. Israel reported the deaths of seven civilians and an army colonel in captivity, with 137 hostages remaining in Gaza. The Hamas-controlled Gazan health ministry claims that at least 15,899 Palestinians have been killed in the eight weeks of warfare. Israel accuses Hamas of putting civilians in danger by operating from civilian areas and tunnels, which Hamas denies.