GAZA STRIP: The civil defence agency in Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli strike Sunday hit tents at a declared safe zone in the Palestinian territory’s south, killing at least five people.

A witness said a newborn was among the dead in Al-Mawasi near Khan Yunis city, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the war, now nearing its 11th month. Since Monday, Israeli forces have operated in and around Khan Yunis including in parts of the coastal area of Al-Mawasi.

Miriam al-Astal who lives in Al-Mawasi said a newborn baby was killed. “We were sitting in the tents... when suddenly we heard an explosion,” she said. “I swear” there was no militant activity in the area, she said.

Israel had warned on Monday its forces would “forcefully operate” in the Khan Yunis area — from which troops withdrew in April — and on Saturday the civil defence agency said that 170 people have been killed by the renewed fighting and military operations. The military said its latest operations there were to prevent rocket fire.

Tanks pushed further into the three towns of Al-Karara, Al-Zanna, and Bani Suhaila, in the east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, and medics said at least nine Palestinians were killed earlier on Sunday by Israeli military strikes in those areas.

Residents said fierce fighting could be heard in eastern areas of Khan Yunis where the army was operating. The new incursions caused thousands more families to leave their homes and head to overcrowded areas in Al-Mawasi to the west, and north to Deir Al-Balah.

Later on Sunday, two separate Israeli air strikes on Khan Younis killed at least 15 Palestinians, medics said. Another airstrike on a house at the centre of Khan Yunis city killed 10 people, health officials said.

Meanwhile, in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, Israeli forces advanced deeper into northern parts of the city, where they have yet to take full control.

In Central Gaza, the Israeli military on Sunday called upon Gazans to evacuate parts of the Bureij and Shuhada areas.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024