12/07/2023

Israeli Forces Continue to Battle Hamas

Meanwhile, diseases spread among the displaced

On Thursday, Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in the streets in several locations across Gaza, claiming they were closing in on the hideouts of key commanders as the United Nations appealed for an urgent end to the war to avert an imminent "humanitarian catastrophe."

Some of the heaviest fighting was in the southern city of Khan Younis, once designated by Israel as a safe area but which is now a major focus of the battle. A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister's office, Eylon Levy, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were in "close quarter combat against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip including Khan Younis, eliminating tunnel shafts and the terrorists operating within them."

Khan Younis, the largest city in southern Gaza had been a major destination for those fleeing the north before it became the new center of fighting. According to the United Nations, over the past few days a quarter of the city’s area has been declared an evacuation zone by the Israeli military. An estimated 178,000 residents along with 170,000 displaced people have received evacuation orders said the office for humanitarian affairs on Wednesday.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.