By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) -Israeli troops backed by air strikes battled teams of Palestinian fighters round Khan Younis metropolis within the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, as they continued a week-long operation they mentioned was meant to clear Islamist Hamas militants.
Per week after ordering civilians to evacuate the realm, tanks pushed into the cities of Al-Karara, Al-Zanna, and Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, the place medics mentioned at the very least 34 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli strikes.
Residents reported fierce preventing as hundreds of Palestinians, many displaced a number of instances, headed to the overcrowded areas in Al-Mawasi southwest of Khan Younis, and northwards to Deir Al-Balah within the central Gaza Strip.
The times of preventing in Khan Younis underscored the fierce resistance Israeli forces have encountered nearly 10 months after the Hamas-led assaults on Israel on Oct 7 that triggered Israel’s marketing campaign in Gaza.
Israel blames Hamas for concealing fighters in civilian areas and says its forces do every part potential to restrict civilian casualties.
However the head of the United Nations aid company for Palestinians, Philippe Lazzarini, mentioned the evacuation orders by the Israeli army had been compounding Palestinians’ struggling.
“Quite often, people have just a few hours to pack whatever they can & start all over again, mostly on foot or on a crowded donkey cart for those who can afford it,” he mentioned in a put up on the social media platform X.
One air strike on a tented space in Al-Mawasi, a district designated as a humanitarian secure zone the place the military has instructed folks to maneuver to, killed 5 folks together with a four-month-old lady named Maria Abu Ziada, native media reported.
The Israeli army mentioned it was conscious of the report and looking out into it.
The army launched the operation in Khan Younis in response to what it mentioned had been repeated assaults together with rocket hearth from armed fighters.
Preventing has additionally continued in different areas, together with Rafah, near the border with Egypt, within the Tel Al-Hawa suburb of Gaza Metropolis, within the north of the enclave and in central Gaza, the place the army instructed folks to evacuate and transfer to Al-Mawasi “immediately for their safety.”
CIA’S BURNS MEETS NEGOTIATORS IN ROME
The preventing continued as negotiators from Israel, Egypt and Qatar met CIA Director William Burns in Rome the place they mentioned what Israel known as “clarifications regarding the draft agreement that was conveyed from Israel.”
Negotiations on the primary points will proceed in coming days, a press release from the Israeli prime minister’s workplace mentioned.
Hamas desires a ceasefire settlement to finish the warfare in Gaza, whereas Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the battle will cease solely as soon as Hamas is defeated.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan mentioned Israel’s response to the newest proposal was handed to Washington on Saturday forward of the anticipated assembly – the newest effort to achieve an settlement after months during which Israel and Hamas have blamed one another for the stalemate.
Israel mentioned on Sunday it will strike laborious towards Hamas ally Hezbollah after accusing the Iranian-backed group of killing 12 youngsters and youngsters in a rocket assault on a soccer pitch within the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
The assault escalated hostilities, which have been fought in parallel to the Gaza warfare and have raised fears of a full-blown battle between the closely armed adversaries.
Greater than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed within the Israeli offensive in Gaza, in line with native well being authorities, who don’t distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.
Israel, which has misplaced round 330 troopers in fight in Gaza, estimates that fighters account for a couple of third of the Palestinians killed because it launched its offensive in response to a Hamas-led assault in southern Israel in October.
About 1,200 folks had been killed and 250 had been taken hostage within the Oct. 7 assault, in line with Israeli tallies.
