In a message relayed via SMS, phone calls and other media broadcasts, the military instructed civilians in the eastern part of the humanitarian zone to move elsewhere, and warned that “remaining in the area has become dangerous.”
“The IDF is about to forcefully operate against the terror organizations and therefore calls on the remaining population left in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted humanitarian area in al-Mawasi,” the military said, adding that the early warning was aimed at mitigating harm to civilians.
The adjustment to the humanitarian zone was being carried out “in accordance with precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has emboldened terror infrastructure” within the civilian area, the military explained.
A military source said that hospitals in the area were not required to evacuate, and that the IDF had communicated as much to Palestinian health officials, as well as officials in the international community.
Following the evacuation orders, Palestinian media reported that Israeli ground forces were beginning to advance on the Abasan area in Khan Younis, amid a wave of airstrikes.
Palestinian medics said earlier in the day that at least 16 people had been killed in heavy tank shelling in the neighboring town of Bani Suhaila, while the Strip’s Hamas-run health services said it had received reports of dozens of casualties on the outskirts of Khan Younis, but that teams could not reach them due to the intensity of the fighting. READ MORE
