More Than 60,000 under Evacuation, As Fighting Rages in Gaza

The United Nations (UN) says 600,000 people are under evacuation orders in Southern Gaza during fierce fighting, nearly half of whom have already been forced to leave their homes.

The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees says there is nowhere to go for them.

On Tuesday, Israel said its troops had reached “the heart of Khan Younis” – the largest southern city – on the “most intense” day of fighting in its ground operation.

Israel believes Hamas leaders could be hiding in the city – and Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the only way to win the war is with “crushing force”.

The Hamas attack on southern Israel killed 1,200 people, with around 240 others taken hostage.

Read Also:

Hamas officials in Gaza say at least 16,248 people have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory campaign, including about 7,000 children.

After weeks of fighting focused on northern Gaza – particularly around Gaza City – much of Israel’s military campaign is now concentrated on the enclave’s south and its largest city of Khan Younis.

Israeli believes some senior Hamas leaders could now be hiding in the city, which is the hometown of the overall commander of the group’s military wing, Mohammed Deif, and the group’s leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

People in Khan Younis – hundreds of thousands of whom were forced to flee northern Gaza earlier in the war – are being ordered by Israel to evacuate and head towards Rafah, on the border with Egypt, and the nearby al-Mawasi area on the coast.

But Israel’s campaign also continues in the north, including around the Jabalia refugee camp – Gaza’s largest before the war – which Israel claims was being used by Hamas as a base. It’s unclear how many civilians remain at Jabalia, but it has been the target of Israeli air strikes in recent weeks.

Another area of focus for Israel is around Shejaiya, regarded as another Hamas stronghold, close to Gaza City.