Palestinians say fierce Israeli tank fire and aerial bombing hit Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip on Friday night after almost 200 people were reported killed in Israel’s onslaught against Hamas operatives in 24 hours.
Residents stated that the sound of the gunfire indicated a battle between Israeli forces and Hamas members in Khan Younis.
According to doctors and Palestinian media, planes also carried out a series of air attacks on the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.
Israeli soldiers have been hammering Khan Younis in anticipation of an expected additional advance into the main southern city, which they captured swaths of in early December.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said troops were on their way to Hamas command centres and weapons stockpiles. The Israeli forces also claimed to have destroyed a tunnel complex in the basement of one of Yahya Sinwar’s residences in Gaza City.
Twelve weeks after Hamas operatives invaded Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 captives, Israeli troops have laid much of the Gaza Strip in pursuit of its military goal of destroying the Islamist militants.
Almost all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have fled their homes at least once, and many are on the move again, typically taking refuge in makeshift tents or huddled under tarpaulins and plastic sheets on open ground.
According to the Gaza health officials, 187 additional Palestinians have been verified dead in Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 21,507, roughly 1 percent of Gaza’s population. Thousands more dead are said to be buried in the rubble of demolished neighborhoods.
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