70 killed as Israeli tanks roll into Khan Younis after evacuation order
- In recent months, the Israeli army launched intense military operations in several areas of Gaza previously declared free of Hamas militants
Israel sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area and at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, Gaza doctors said on Monday, after ordering evacuations of some districts it said had been used for renewed attacks by militants.
The health ministry also said more than 200 people had been wounded.
The Palestinians were killed by tank salvoes in the town of Bani Suhaila and other towns fringing the eastern side of Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded by air, they said.
Residents of the densely built-up area of southern Gaza said the tanks advanced for more than two kilometres into Bani Suhaila, forcing residents to flee under fire.
“It is like doomsday,” one resident, who only identified himself as Abu Khaled, told Reuters via chat app. “People are fleeing under fire, many are dead and wounded on the roads.”
The Gaza health ministry said the dead included several women and children. The Gaza ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its death tallies.
The military warning affected the eastern Khan Younis sector of the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone in southern Gaza and sent thousands of Palestinians fleeing.