Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza’s second largest city, Khan Younis, with dozens of wounded being taken to hospitals.
In response to the US call to prevent further mass casualties, Israel claimed it was acting more precisely, expanding its offensive into the southern Gaza Strip after destroying much of the north. Satellite photos taken on Sunday showed tanks and troops concentrating near Khan Younis, the last target of the offensive, where more than 400,000 people lived before the war.
Ambulances transported dozens of injured people overnight to the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Palestinians report that as Israel continues to strike besieged territory, there are no areas left where they feel safe. Many fear that if they flee their homes, they will never be allowed to return.
Israel declared that it must destroy Hamas’ military infrastructure and remove it from power to prevent a repeat of the October 7 attack that triggered the war. In that attack, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 240 men, women and children hostage.
The Israeli military claimed it was doing its best to spare civilians and accused Hamas of using them as human shields during fighting in densely populated residential areas, where it is believed to have a maze of tunnels, bunkers, rocket launchers and sniper nests. However, since the group is deeply entrenched in Palestinian society, this would complicate any effort to eliminate Hamas without mass casualties and displacement.
Even after weeks of unrelenting bombardment, Hamas leaders in Gaza managed to negotiate a complex ceasefire and organise the release of more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners last week. Palestinian militants also continued to launch missiles at Israel both before and after the truce.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that the death toll in the territory since October 7 has surpassed 15,890, of whom 70% were women and children, with more than 42,000 injured. The statement added hundreds of people have been killed or injured since the ceasefire. Many are still trapped under rubble.
An Israeli army spokesman provided a similar figure for the death toll in the Gaza Strip on Monday, after weeks in which Israeli officials questioned the ministry’s counts. The official confirmed that at least 15,000 people were killed, including 5,000 militants, without specifying how the military reached those figures. It claims 84 soldiers have been killed in the Gaza offensive.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated on Monday that it was unusual for modern militaries to determine the exact areas of expected ground manoeuvres and ask people to leave, as Israel did in Khan Younis.
These are the kinds of steps that we have asked them to undertake. These are the conversations we’re having day in, day out.
