Israeli Forces Strike Khan Younis, Killing Scores of Civilians and Wounding Hundreds

Israeli forces launched airstrikes in the Khan Younis region of the Gaza Strip on Monday, killing scores of civilians and wounding hundreds. The strikes targeted areas where Hamas operated and fired rockets towards Israel, according to the Israeli military. Residents were told to evacuate the area, but many stayed behind, and the military said it would continue to act against Hamas, which it accused of using civilians as a human shield. The airstrikes have added to the misery of a city already deeply scarred by nine and a half months of war.

Key Takeaways:

• The Israeli military struck dozens of sites in Khan Younis, killing scores of civilians and wounding hundreds, according to local health officials.
• The military said it had ordered residents to evacuate part of Khan Younis, but many stayed behind, and the evacuation zone was shrunk to prevent civilians from being in harm's way.
• Gaza's health ministry reported that 70 bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital, and at least 200 other people were wounded, although the figures could not be independently confirmed.
• The Palestine Red Crescent said its teams dealt with at least 12 people who were killed and 50 wounded in the area.
• Mohammed Saqer, the director general of nursing at Nasser Hospital, described the situation as "appalling," with hundreds of injured people brought to the hospital, which lacked basic supplies like mattresses, blankets, and syringes.
• The Israeli military said it had struck more than 30 sites in eastern Khan Younis, including the area from which a projectile was launched towards Nirim in southern Israel.
• Residents in eastern Khan Younis were told to seek temporary shelter in an area designated as a humanitarian zone, but aid workers and displaced Palestinians said this area lacked basic supplies, like clean water.

Statistics:

• More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
• Nearly 90,000 others have been injured.
• Over 270 aid workers have been killed during the war.
• More than 120 hostages are believed to be dead, with 46 remaining in captivity.
• Almost all of Gaza's 2.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes since the war began.
• The Israeli military has carried out airstrikes in Khan Younis, killing scores of civilians and wounding hundreds.

Sources:

• Gazan health ministry
• Palestine Red Crescent
• Israeli military
• Associated Press
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)