The city of Khan Younis is experiencing the heaviest Israeli bombardment since the beginning of the war, particularly in areas of southern Deir al-Balah. The Palestinian agency reported that 50 displaced individuals were killed in an Israeli strike on a school east of Gaza City. Palestinian factions launched rocket barrages on Beer Sheva and settlements surrounding Gaza. Kiryat Shmona and several settlements in northern Israel also came under rocket fire. Concurrently, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced targeting a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in the north. In a statement on Monday, they mentioned that they struck Kibbutz Nirim in the Gaza perimeter with short-range rockets. They also confirmed targeting five Israeli tanks and five armored personnel carriers in the eastern sector.
This statement came as dozens of Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers, and military bulldozers moved into southern Gaza in the town of al-Qarara, north of Khan Younis, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to Agence France-Presse on Monday, marking the start of "ground military operations." Residents and journalists reported that Israel launched intense airstrikes on southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths and injuries of dozens of Palestinians, some in areas where Israel had instructed residents to take shelter. Israeli forces and tanks continued their ground campaign targeting Hamas fighters in the south after seizing control of most parts of the now-destroyed northern region. Earlier on Monday, Israel ordered residents to evacuate from areas of Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza. However, residents stated that the areas they were told to move to were also under gunfire.
The Israeli military published a map on the social media platform X, marking about a quarter of Khan Younis in yellow, indicating areas that must be evacuated. The map included three arrows pointing south and west, implying residents should move towards the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Rafah near the Egyptian border. Residents of Khan Younis packed their belongings and headed toward Rafah, most walking past destroyed buildings. However, the director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Thomas White, stated that Rafah residents are being forced to flee. He said on the social media platform X, "People are asking for advice on where is safe. We have nothing to tell them."
**Targeting of Schools**
In the northern part of the sector, the Palestinian news and information agency (Wafa) reported that at least 50 people were killed in an Israeli air raid targeting two schools sheltering displaced persons in the al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. The Gaza Health Ministry could not be contacted for comment on these reports nor to verify them from independent sources. An Israeli army spokesman stated they were investigating the credibility of these reports.
Separately, the Health Ministry announced that at least 15,899 Palestinians, 70% of whom are women or youth and children under 18, have been killed so far in Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled sector during the ongoing war, which has lasted nearly eight weeks. Thousands more are still missing and feared to be buried under the rubble.
**Massive Crater**
The bombardment on one site in Rafah last night created a crater the size of a basketball court. From under the rubble emerged the bare feet of a small dead child and trousers. Rescue workers struggled to retrieve the body by removing blocks of debris with their hands. They were later seen shouting "Allahu Akbar" while carrying the child's body alongside another small corpse wrapped in a blanket.
**80% Have Fled**
Around 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have fled their homes due to the Israeli bombardment, which has turned most of the crowded coastal area into a desolate landscape. Residents report that tanks entered Gaza from the border fence, cutting off the main road between the north and south. The Israeli army stated that the route out of Khan Younis to the north "is a battlefield" and announced its closure. Hamas claimed that its fighters clashed with Israeli forces in northern Khan Younis overnight.
**Israeli Objectives in the North Achieved**
Israeli armored corps commander Brigadier General Hisham Ibrahim told Army Radio that they have achieved most military objectives in northern Gaza. He stated, "We have started expanding the ground maneuver to other parts of the sector with one goal: to topple the terrorist Hamas organization." The army released footage of soldiers patrolling areas heavily damaged while firing weapons without disclosing their locations within Gaza. The United Nations indicated that the southern areas Israel ordered evacuated before the ceasefire collapsed three days ago housed more than 350,000 people before the war, in addition to hundreds of thousands who have now taken refuge there from other areas. Many who fled on Monday were already displaced from other regions. A resident named Abu Mohammed told Reuters this is the third time he has been forced to flee since leaving his home in Gaza City in the north. He questioned why residents are being forced from their homes in Gaza when plans exist to kill them.
The United States is urging Israel to make greater efforts to protect civilians in southern Gaza than what was done in last month’s campaign in the north. However, health authorities in Gaza stated that around 900 people have been killed in Israeli air raids since the ceasefire ended on Friday. During a visit to Gaza on Monday, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric, stated that the level of humanitarian suffering is unbearable. In her statement, Spoljaric called for the protection of civilians, respect for the laws of war, and the release of those held by Hamas. She added, "It is unacceptable that civilians have nowhere safe to go in Gaza, and with a military blockade in place, no adequate humanitarian response is currently possible."
