Israel warns it will ‘forcefully operate' in part of Gaza's Khan Younis, issues evacuation order

Israel’s military issued an evacuation order to residents in the southern part of Khan Younis, warning it would ‘forcefully operate’ in the embattled Gazan town. Khan Younis has faced intensifying bombardment recently, and a fresh Israeli ground assault earlier this week killed dozens of Palestinians there. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned they would reduce their humanitarian zone in the eastern part of the city due to intelligence that Hamas had embedded in the area. Tens of thousands have been displaced, and Israel said about 100 militants had been killed during recent fighting. The IDF called on the remaining population in the southern neighborhoods of Khan Yunis to evacuate temporarily to the adjusted Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi. The designated humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi has come under repeated Israeli attacks. The move is in retaliation to significant terrorist activity and rocket fire from southern Khan Younis. Israel launched its military offensive in Gaza on October 7, after Hamas attacked southern Israel. Israeli strikes have since resulted in numerous casualties and injuries in Gaza. The military is communicating the calls for temporary evacuation through various means to mitigate harm to civilians. The UN estimated that about 150,000 people fled the area on Monday alone, intensifying pressure on resources and making the delivery of aid more difficult. On Thursday, the IDF recovered the bodies of five Israeli hostages from a tunnel in Khan Younis.