Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza are fleeing the town of Khan Younis following an evacuation order issued by Israel in the wake of a new offensive in the south of the Strip against Hamas militants, who the Israeli army is fighting in underground tunnels claiming their members are still active, even though Israeli troops withdrew from the town less than a fortnight ago.
According to news agencies, the Israeli evacuation order forced a new exodus of Palestinians, who fear falling victim to Israeli attacks after the latest bombardment left at least 40 dead. Many of the Palestinian civilians now forced to leave Khan Younis for crowded Israeli-designated “safe zones” on the coast – carrying blankets, bags and what few valuables they still have – had returned at the end of July after the latest Israeli incursion.
Israeli and US intelligence sources believe that Yahya Sinwar, appointed as Hamas’ new political leader after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, is said to be hiding in tunnels built under Khan Younis. Paradoxically, this operation comes as US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are pressing Hamas and Israel to resume negotiations for a ceasefire agreement, which stalled precisely after Haniyeh’s death in Tehran on 31 July. The next contacts are scheduled to take place on 15 August, although it is yet to be determined whether the negotiators will meet in Doha or Cairo.
The Israeli government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless maintains that its ultimate goal is to destroy Hamas following the massive attack launched on 7 October 2023 in southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 250 abducted, of whom 111 – including 39 lifeless bodies – are still in Hamas hands. Since then, the Israeli army’s brutal offensive in Gaza has left nearly 40,000 Palestinians dead – mostly women and children – and some 92,000 wounded, while more than 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and are crowded into makeshift refugee camps on the coast. The UN estimates that at least half a million face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity and extreme hunger.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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