Clouds of black smoke rose over the Gaza Strip on Sunday as Israel ordered additional evacuations of the city of Khan Yunis.
advertisementThe Israeli military has ordered further evacuations for the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis after an airstrike on a school building killed dozens of people on Sunday.
Israel said it attacked a militant command post and killed 19 fighters.
Clouds of black smoke rose over the Gaza Strip on Sunday as the destructive war between Israel and Hamas continued.
Israel has repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops return to heavily damaged areas where they previously fought Palestinian militants.
Most of the Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people have been displaced by the 10-month war. For many, it’s happened more than once.
“This is my fifth or sixth time migrating,” said Mohammad Ashur, a migrant from Jabaliya, adding that he did not know where to go next.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are crammed into tent camps with few public services or seeking shelter in places like the school that was hit by airstrikes on Saturday.
Palestinians say no part of the besieged area is safe.
The latest evacuation order applies to the Khan Yunis area, which includes parts of the area declared by Israel as a humanitarian zone, from which the IDF claims the rockets were fired.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of hiding among civilians and carrying out attacks in residential areas.
Khan Yunis, the second-largest city in the Gaza Strip, suffered widespread destruction during air and ground offensives earlier this year.
Tens of thousands of people were evacuated again last week after an earlier evacuation order was issued.
Hundreds of families fled their homes and shelters early Sunday morning, clutching their belongings and seeking refuge in the shadows.
The Gaza Strip’s health ministry says the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month war has reached 40,000.
Aid agencies are struggling to address the region’s massive humanitarian crisis, while international experts have warned of famine.
advertisementThe war began on October 7, when Hamas-led militants breached Israeli defenses and unleashed chaos in communities along the border.
They killed about 1,200 people (mostly civilians) and kidnapped about 250.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying for months to broker a ceasefire and the return of the remaining 110 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to be dead.
As Israel trades arms with Iran and its armed allies across the region, the conflict threatens to devolve into a regional war.
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