The Israeli military extended evacuation orders for Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip late Saturday (August 10), forcing tens of thousands of Palestinian residents and displaced families to flee as explosions from tank attacks echoed around them.
According to a Reuters report, the military said it was targeting Hamas militants who were using these areas to launch attacks and rockets. Reuters reported that the evacuation order in Khan Yunis covered districts in the center, east and west, making it one of the largest such orders in the 10-month war.
“For your own safety, you must be immediately evacuated to the newly created humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone,” the military said in a post on X.
Almost 100 people die in Israeli attack on school in Gaza Strip
The Israeli military’s statement came hours after an Israeli attack on the Al-Tabin school complex housing displaced Palestinian families killed around 100 people, the Gaza Civil Emergency Service said.
Video from the scene showed body parts scattered among the rubble and more bodies being carried away and covered with blankets. Empty food cans lay in a pool of blood, burnt mattresses and a child’s doll lay in the rubble, Reuters reported.
The Israeli attack sparked international condemnation from Arab states, Turkey, France, the United Kingdom and the European Union (EU), and the United States (US) expressed its deep concern.
The Israeli military said the death toll was exaggerated and that 19 militants were among the dead. “The attack was carried out with three types of precise munitions that cannot cause the damage that is being reported,” it said in a statement.
Since the Gaza war began in October last year, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought shelter in Gaza’s schools. However, most of these schools were closed when the fighting started.
According to Palestinian authorities, around 350 families had sought shelter on the grounds of the Al-Tabin school complex.
New ceasefire talks on August 15
Egypt, the United States and Qatar have scheduled a new round of ceasefire talks for Thursday (August 15) as fears of a wider conflict between Iran and Hezbollah grow following the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that he will not end the war until Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israelis and announced that he will send a delegation.
(With contributions from agencies)
