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©A young boy tries to salvage some objects amid the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 9, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
An Israeli operation in Khan Younes, Gaza, killed 81 people and wounded over 200, while Prime Minister Netanyahu arrived in Washington amid pressure for a truce.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday that an Israeli operation in the main southern city of Khan Younes killed 89 people and wounded more than 200, after Israel warned its forces would "forcefully operate" in the area.
Thousands of Palestinians fled southern areas of the territory following the Israeli army's temporary evacuation order for parts of Khan Younes, including the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
Israel's military said it would act to curb rocket fire in the area, which saw heavy fighting earlier this year.
The latest incident comes days after the Health Ministry said 92 people were killed in a strike on Al-Mawasi, when Israel said it was targeting a Hamas commander.
Gaza's civil defiense agency said at least 12 people were killed on Monday in Gaza City, with four others killed in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The evacuation order for the Al-Mawasi area came just two months after the military directed Palestinians there for their own safety.
The Israeli military did not offer comment on the toll when asked by AFP.
But in a statement, the military said its fighter jets and tanks "struck and eliminated terrorists in the area."
It said forces targeted more than "30 terror infrastructure" sites in Khan Younes. Israeli warplanes also hit a weapons storage facility, observation posts, tunnel shafts and structures used by Hamas militants, it added.
Facing yet another displacement, Palestinians filled the dusty streets of Khan Younes with cars, motorbikes, donkey-drawn carts, and on foot, carrying what belongings they could.
In the West Bank as Well
Furthermore, the Israeli air force declared on Tuesday that one of its aircraft “attacked armed terrorists” in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, killing five people. Israeli forces continue to exchange fire with Palestinian armed groups in the area.
Ashraf Nafi, a commander in the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was reportedly killed in the strike on the Tulkarem refugee camp, where intense fighting continues between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also claimed responsibility for an explosive attack on an Israeli bulldozer in the camp's al-Ghanim district.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure to reach a truce and hostage-release deal, arrived in Washington on Monday to address the US Congress.
Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to Congress on Wednesday amid unprecedented strains between Israel and its ally the United States.
On Thursday, he will meet US President Joe Biden, who has pushed him to agree to a ceasefire, more than nine months into the Gaza war ignited by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attacks on Israel.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly resisted pressure from the Biden administration to accept a truce, which far-right members of his coalition oppose.
[readmore url = "https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/274485"]
Biden on Monday vowed to continue working to find a solution during his final months in office, a day after announcing his withdrawal from the US presidential race.
Netanyahu will hold a separate meeting during his visit with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who looks set to replace Biden atop the Democratic ticket, an aide to Harris told AFP on Monday.
The visit comes with the Gaza war again fuelling regional violence.
An Israeli delegation will travel to Doha on Thursday to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange, a source with knowledge of the talks said.
With AFP
The Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday that an Israeli operation in the main southern city of Khan Younes killed 89 people and wounded more than 200, after Israel warned its forces would "forcefully operate" in the area.
Thousands of Palestinians fled southern areas of the territory following the Israeli army's temporary evacuation order for parts of Khan Younes, including the Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone.
Israel's military said it would act to curb rocket fire in the area, which saw heavy fighting earlier this year.
The latest incident comes days after the Health Ministry said 92 people were killed in a strike on Al-Mawasi, when Israel said it was targeting a Hamas commander.
Gaza's civil defiense agency said at least 12 people were killed on Monday in Gaza City, with four others killed in the Jabalia refugee camp.
The evacuation order for the Al-Mawasi area came just two months after the military directed Palestinians there for their own safety.
The Israeli military did not offer comment on the toll when asked by AFP.
But in a statement, the military said its fighter jets and tanks "struck and eliminated terrorists in the area."
It said forces targeted more than "30 terror infrastructure" sites in Khan Younes. Israeli warplanes also hit a weapons storage facility, observation posts, tunnel shafts and structures used by Hamas militants, it added.
Facing yet another displacement, Palestinians filled the dusty streets of Khan Younes with cars, motorbikes, donkey-drawn carts, and on foot, carrying what belongings they could.
In the West Bank as Well
Furthermore, the Israeli air force declared on Tuesday that one of its aircraft “attacked armed terrorists” in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, killing five people. Israeli forces continue to exchange fire with Palestinian armed groups in the area.
Ashraf Nafi, a commander in the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, was reportedly killed in the strike on the Tulkarem refugee camp, where intense fighting continues between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups.
The Al-Qassam Brigades also claimed responsibility for an explosive attack on an Israeli bulldozer in the camp's al-Ghanim district.
Netanyahu in Washington
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure to reach a truce and hostage-release deal, arrived in Washington on Monday to address the US Congress.
Netanyahu will deliver a landmark speech to Congress on Wednesday amid unprecedented strains between Israel and its ally the United States.
On Thursday, he will meet US President Joe Biden, who has pushed him to agree to a ceasefire, more than nine months into the Gaza war ignited by the Palestinian militant group's October 7 attacks on Israel.
The Israeli leader has repeatedly resisted pressure from the Biden administration to accept a truce, which far-right members of his coalition oppose.
[readmore url = "https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/274485"]
Biden on Monday vowed to continue working to find a solution during his final months in office, a day after announcing his withdrawal from the US presidential race.
Netanyahu will hold a separate meeting during his visit with US Vice President Kamala Harris, who looks set to replace Biden atop the Democratic ticket, an aide to Harris told AFP on Monday.
The visit comes with the Gaza war again fuelling regional violence.
An Israeli delegation will travel to Doha on Thursday to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange, a source with knowledge of the talks said.
With AFP
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