Israeli army orders 4th evacuation in Khan Younis within a week

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army has issued fresh evacuation orders for residents of several areas of Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, marking the fourth such order in less than a week.

The evacuation orders, announced Tuesday evening, targeted residents of Blocks 45, 50, 219 and 220 in the Bani Suheila and Al-Mahatta neighborhoods in eastern Khan Younis.

They were issued following claims of ongoing rocket fire directed at central Israel by Hamas and other militant groups operating from these areas.

In a statement released on the social media platform X, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee justified the evacuations, saying “due to the continuous rocket fire by Hamas and other terrorist organizations from your areas, the Israeli army will act forcefully against these terrorist elements immediately.”

The situation in Khan Younis remains particularly volatile, with frequent evacuations underscoring the dangers faced by civilians in the area.

Earlier in the day, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing, claimed responsibility for firing two rockets at Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas in central Israel, marking the first such attack since May 26.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack last October by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

Since then, an ongoing Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians.

Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio