Gaza: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday called on the population of the Gaza Strip’s Khan Yunis to evacuate amid a planned operation against Palestinian armed groups.
“The IDF is about to forcefully operate against the terrorist organizations and therefore calls on the remaining population left in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi,” the IDF said on Telegram.
The Israeli military also said that it plans to change the borders of the humanitarian area “in accordance with precise intelligence indicating that Hamas has embedded terrorist infrastructure in the area.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed, and some 240 others were abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.