Israel issues mass evacuation order for Khan Yunis
Overnight, Israel expanded the evacuation order for Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinian residents and displaced families to flee in darkness as the explosions of tank artillery fire echoed all around.
The Israeli army said it was attacking the area because Hamas militants, who controlled the Gaza Strip before the war, had used it as a base for attacks and rocket launches.On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City killed at least 90 people, according to the civil defense, sparking international condemnation.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant headquarters, killing 19 militants, but both groups denied this as a pretext, Reuters reported.
Evacuations were ordered for central, eastern and western neighborhoods of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the largest in the 10-month conflict, two days after tanks returned to the eastern part of the city.
The announcement was posted on X and sent to residents’ mobile phones via text and voice message: “For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to a newly established humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous war zone.”
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The Israeli military said it was attacking militants from the Hamas group – which administered Gaza before the war – who were using those areas to stage attacks and fire rockets. On Saturday, an Israeli airstrike on a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Gaza City killed at least 90 people, according to the civil defence service, prompting an international outcry.
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The Israeli military said it had struck a Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant command post, an allegation the two groups rejected as a pretext, and killed 19 militants, Reuters reported.
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In Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip, the evacuation instruction covered districts in the centre, east and west, making it one of the largest such orders in the 10-month-old conflict, two days after tanks returned to the east of the city.
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The announcement was posted on X and in text and audio messages to residents’ phones: “For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to the newly created humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous combat zone.”
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Hello. We are restarting our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and wider Middle East crisis. Here’s a snapshot of the latest.
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The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority has made a rare statement after at least 80 people were killed in Israeli missile strikes on a school compound in Gaza City.
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A spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, urged the US – Israel’s most important diplomatic ally and weapons supplier – to “put an end to the blind support that leads to the killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including children, women, and the elderly”.
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Hamas denounced it as a “dangerous escalation”, while the Palestinian group’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah called it a “horrific massacre”. Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have also condemned the strike, which came as mediators were pushing to resume ceasefire talks. Reuters reports that senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the strike should serve as a turning point in their efforts.
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A separate strike on Saturday killed three Palestinians in Al-Nuseirat in central Gaza and another killed one person in nearby Deir Al-Balah, medics said.
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Later in the day an Israeli strike killed three Palestinians in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, medics said.
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The Israeli military said the head of general security in Hamas’ military wing, Walid Alsousi, had been killed in southern Gaza. There was no immediate Hamas comment.
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In other news:
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The death toll from the Israeli air strike on the Gaza City school has risen to 80, Palestinian health authorities said. The Israeli military acknowledged the strike on the Tabeen school on Saturday morning, claiming it hit a Hamas command centre within the school. Hamas denied having a base at the school. Fadel Naeem, director of the al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, said the facility received the bodies of 80 people killed in the strike.
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Around 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants were operating from the Gaza City school that was struck by the Israeli air force on Saturday, an Israeli military spokesperson said. “The compound, and the mosque that was struck within it, served as an active Hamas and Islamic Jihad military facility,” lieutenant colonel Nadav Shoshani said on X.
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The presumptive Democratic nominee for the US presidential election addressed Gaza protesters after they interrupted her campaign speech in Glendale, Arizona. Harris stopped her speech looking to the area in the audience where the protesters were chanting from and told them she “respected” their voices. “Let me just speak to that for a moment, and then I’m going to get back to the business at hand,” she said, adding that she believed “now is the time” to agree to a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages held in Gaza.
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The EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has said there is “no justification” for the attack on the school in Gaza. He posted on X: “Horrified by images from a sheltering school in Gaza hit by an Israeli strike, w/ reportedly dozens of Palestinian victims. At least 10 schools were targeted in the last weeks. There’s no justification for these massacres We are dismayed by the terrible overall death toll.” The White House said it was “deeply concerned” about the Gaza school compound strike and asked Israeli officials for further details.
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The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force targeted a command and control centre where Hamas fighters were hiding. The military said it had taken steps to reduce the risk of harming civilians, “including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and intelligence information”. It did not immediately comment on the casualty reports from Gaza, Reuters reported.
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At least 39,790 Palestinians have been killed and 91,702 have been injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry has said in a statement.
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According to the United Nations, 477 out of 564 schools in Gaza have been directly hit or damaged in the war as of July 6. In June, an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health officials. Israel has blamed the civilian deaths in Gaza on Hamas, saying the group endangers noncombatants by using schools and residential neighborhoods as bases for operations and attacks.
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Iran is set to carry out an order by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to “harshly punish” Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, a Revolutionary Guards deputy commander was quoted as saying on Friday by local news agencies. Ali Fadavi said Khamenei’s orders were “clear and explicit” and “will be implemented in the best possible way”. White House national security spokesperson John Kirby, asked about Fadavi’s remarks, said the US was ready to defend Israel with plenty of resources in the region, adding: “When we hear rhetoric like that we’ve got to take it seriously, and we do.” When a reporter asked US president Joe Biden on Saturday for his message to Iran, Biden mouthed the word “don’t”.
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Main Events
The drills, which began on Friday, are being conducted in the western province of Kermanshah, near the Iraqi border, to “enhance combat readiness and alertness,” a military official told the Iranian news agency.
According to Iranian media, Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Ali Fadavi, said on Friday that Iran’s supreme leader’s orders to severely punish Israel and take revenge on Haniyeh were clear and would be carried out in the “best possible way.”
Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards are conducting military drills in the country’s west that are set to continue until Tuesday, Iran’s state news agency said on Sunday.
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel following the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
US Vice President Kamala Harris said “too many civilians” were killed in yesterday’s Israeli attack on a school in the Gaza Strip.
She said,
Once again, too many civilians have been killed. Israel has the right to pursue the terrorists that are Hamas.
But as I have said many times, I believe they also have an important responsibility to avoid civilian casualties.
She added:
Well, first of all, the President and I have been working day and night on this, we need to get the hostages out.
We need a hostage deal and a ceasefire. I can’t emphasize this enough. We need a deal. We need it now.
Israel issues mass evacuation order for Khan Yunis
Overnight, Israel expanded the evacuation order for Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, forcing tens of thousands of Palestinian residents and displaced families to flee in darkness as the explosions of tank artillery fire echoed all around.
The Israeli army said it was attacking the area because Hamas militants, who controlled the Gaza Strip before the war, had used it as a base for attacks and rocket launches.On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes on a school sheltering in Gaza City killed at least 90 people, according to the civil defense, sparking international condemnation.
The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant headquarters, killing 19 militants, a claim that both groups denied as a pretext, Reuters reported.
Evacuations were ordered for central, eastern and western neighborhoods of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, the largest in the 10-month conflict, two days after tanks returned to the eastern part of the city.
The announcement was posted on X and sent to residents’ mobile phones via text and voice message: “For your own safety, you must evacuate immediately to a newly established humanitarian zone. The area you are in is considered a dangerous war zone.”
Summary at the beginning
Hello, we are back with our live coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the Middle East crisis. We will keep you updated with the latest developments.
The West Bank-based Palestinian Authority issued an unprecedented statement after an Israeli missile attack on a school compound in Gaza City killed at least 80 people.
A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the United States, Israel’s most important diplomatic ally and arms supplier, to “end its blind support for the killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including children, women and the elderly.”
Hamas condemned it as a “dangerous escalation,” while the Palestinian group’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah called it a “horrific massacre.” Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia also condemned the attack, which comes as mediators are pushing to restart ceasefire talks. Reuters quoted senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri as saying the attack should mark a turning point in their efforts.
Another attack on Saturday killed three Palestinians in Al-Nuseirat in central Gaza, while another killed one in nearby Deir al-Bala, medical sources said.
Later the same day, Israeli military attacks killed three Palestinians in Rafah, near the Egyptian border, medical sources said.
The Israeli army said Hamas’ military security chief, Walid al-Soushi, was killed in southern Gaza. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.
In other news:
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Palestinian health officials say the death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City has risen to 80. The Israeli military confirmed the attack on Tabin school on Saturday morning, claiming it struck a Hamas headquarters inside the school. Hamas denied having a base inside the school. Fadel Naeem, director of Al Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, said the hospital had received the bodies of 80 people killed in the attack.
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An Israeli military spokesman said about 20 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters were operating from the school in Gaza City that was attacked by Israeli air force on Saturday. “The compound and the mosque that was attacked within it served as a military facility for Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani told X.
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A woman believed to be a Democratic candidate for the US presidential election addressed protesters after they disrupted her campaign speech in Glendale, Arizona. Harris paused to look towards the stands as chanting protesters said she “respected” their voices. “Let me say a few words about that, and then I’ll get back to it,” she said, adding that she believed “now is the time” to reach a ceasefire and secure the release of hostages being held in Gaza.
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The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said there was “no justification” for attacks on Gaza schools. He posted on X: “Horrified by photos of a shelter school in Gaza under Israeli attack, reportedly killing dozens of Palestinians. At least 10 schools have been attacked in the past few weeks. There is no justification for these massacres. We are dismayed by the horrific overall death toll.” The White House said it was “deeply concerned” about the incident. Gaza We have contacted Israeli authorities for more details about the school facilities strike.
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The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force targeted a command and control centre where Hamas fighters were hiding. The army said it had taken measures including “the use of precision weapons, aerial surveillance and intelligence” to reduce the risk of harm to civilians. The army did not immediately comment on the casualty reports from Gaza, according to Reuters.
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Since October 7, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 39,790 Palestinians and injured 91,702.The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement.
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According to the United Nations, as of July 6, 477 of the 564 schools in the Gaza Strip had been directly attacked or damaged in the war. In June, an Israeli attack on a school sheltering Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip killed at least 33 people, including 12 women and children, according to local health authorities. Israel blames Hamas for civilian deaths in Gaza and says it puts non-combatants at risk by using schools and residential areas as bases for operations and attacks.
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Iran is set to carry out Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s orders to “severely punish” Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Local news agencies quoted the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran on Friday. Ali Fadabi said Khamenei’s orders were “clear and unambiguous” and “will be carried out in the best way possible.” Asked about Fadabi’s comments, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the US was ready to commit full resources to defend Israel in the region, adding: “When we hear such statements, we have to take them seriously, and we do.” When a reporter asked US President Joe Biden on Saturday what his message to Iran was, Biden mouthed: “Don’t.”
