Israeli troops launched fatal attacks on southern Gaza on Tuesday as the army issued another order for Palestinians to flee areas near the besieged territory’s border with Israel and Egypt.
Witnesses reported heavy bombing and shelling around Khan Yunis, southern Gaza’s main city from which Israeli soldiers retreated in early April following a months-long fight.
According to the hospital source, shelling killed eight individuals and injured over 30 others.
The airstrike followed a missile attack on southern Israel claimed by Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas. This was followed by an order to evacuate most of the territory east of the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah, including the towns of Al-Qarara and Bani Suhaila.
Ahmad Najja, a resident of Bani Suhaila, stated that the Israeli order has spurred fear and extreme anxiety, as well as there is a large displacement of residents.
Six days of fierce fighting followed a similar evacuation order issued last week for the Gaza City district of Shujaiya.
Artillery fire was recorded in the northern area on Tuesday, and witnesses said gun battles raged on.
The military reported, “Forces were operating in Shujaiya, central Gaza, and Rafah, where aircraft carried out attacks and troops ambushed an armed terrorist squad in a car and killed them”.
“Over the past day, the Israeli air force struck approximately 30 terror targets across Gaza”, the military statement reads.
“In Shujaiya, Palestinian militants were eliminated and dozens of terrorist infrastructure sites above and below ground were dismantled, including tunnel shafts”, the military statement continued.
