The Israeli forces bombarded wide areas in the Gaza Strip today, Sunday, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians, while civilians in the besieged sector sought refuge in an increasingly shrinking area in the south. Hamas announced that its fighters clashed with Israeli forces about two kilometers from Khan Younis city in the south. Residents in Khan Younis reported hearing the sound of tank fire and feared that Israel was preparing for a new ground assault, many of them having already moved to Khan Younis to escape previous attacks. The Israeli army had asked residents to evacuate some areas in and around the city, but had not declared any new ground operation in the south.
The Houthi group from Yemen claimed that its armed forces targeted two Israeli ships in the Red Sea today with a drone and a naval missile as a show of solidarity with the Palestinians, a move that fuels concerns over the widening of the conflict and destabilization in the region. The Pentagon acknowledged being aware of reports about an attack on the U.S. destroyer Carney, but did not provide further details. Neither Israel nor the United States has independently confirmed the attacks or any potential damage caused.
The Jabalia refugee camp in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas, was one of the locations hit by airstrikes. A spokesperson for Gaza's health ministry stated that several people were killed due to an Israeli airstrike there. A video obtained by Reuters showed a boy covered in dust crying amid the ruins of collapsed buildings, exclaiming "My father was martyred." A girl wearing a pink jacket and also covered in dust stood amid piles of rubble, saying "No, no, no." Residents reported that artillery fire and warplanes also targeted the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah in the southern part of the Strip, with hospitals struggling to cope with the influx of injured individuals.
Israeli government spokesperson Ilan Levy stated that the army hit over 400 targets over the weekend, "including intensive airstrikes in the Khan Younis area," and that it also killed "Hamas militants and destroyed their infrastructure" in Beit Lahia in the north. There has been no comment yet on specific attack reports.
The war resumed on Friday following the end of a week-long ceasefire in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, which allowed for the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners. Violence flared despite U.S. calls for Israel to avoid further harm to Palestinian civilians.
Concerns of an imminent Israeli ground assault on southern areas of Gaza have been voiced by its residents today. They mentioned that tanks had cut off the roads connecting Khan Younis to Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, effectively dividing the Strip into three parts. The Israeli army had ordered Palestinians to evacuate several areas in and around Khan Younis, releasing a map showing shelters they should head to west of the city and towards the south towards Rafah adjacent to Egypt. However, residents indicated that the areas they were ordered to move to were also under attack.
Nabil al-Ghandour told Reuters that he and his family would leave Khan Younis and head to Rafah later today, marking their fifth movement for safety since the outbreak of the conflict. He added, "We can't see any safe area," and continued, "But we are moving because what can we do? We have children and the bombardment continues throughout the night." A health ministry official in Gaza later reported that seven people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Rafah. The Israeli military has yet to respond to requests for comment.
United Nations officials and residents in Gaza have stated that it is difficult to comply with Israeli evacuation orders right now due to a lack of internet service and irregular electricity supplies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday that Israel is coordinating with the United States and international organizations to establish "safe zones" for civilians in Gaza.
The Israeli army reported today that its warplanes and helicopters struck Hamas targets, including tunnel openings, command centers, and weapons storage facilities. The army noted that naval forces struck Hamas vehicles on the shore. The army refrained from providing data on the number of airstrikes conducted. Hamas claimed to have targeted Tel Aviv with a barrage of rockets. No damage reports were noted, but paramedics said a man received treatment for a shrapnel injury in central Israel. Damage was reported to a Jewish temple in the southern city of Sderot today due to what Israeli media reported as a rocket fired from Gaza. Local emergency services reported no deaths or injuries.
On another front, Israel stated that several soldiers were injured when an anti-tank missile launched from Lebanon struck a vehicle in the Beit Hillel area in northern Israel. The United Nations reports that around 1.8 million people, or 80 percent of Gaza's population, have fled their homes since October 7. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that more than 400,000 displaced individuals sought refuge in Rafah and nearly 300,000 fled to Khan Younis.
