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Gaza’s civil defense agency said Saturday that Israel’s military operation around Khan Younis has killed about 170 people and wounded hundreds since it started on Monday.
“Since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in the Khan Younis area, we are talking of approximately 170 martyrs and hundreds of wounded,” agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
He said many people had been displaced again on Saturday as the Israeli operation continued.
“The questions is where will these residents go?” Bassal said.
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“Anyone who sees the situation in Khan Younis will witness thousands of people spread out on the ground, on the roads, in areas that unfortunately are not suitable for living.”
“With no other options available, they are exposing themselves to death.”
Earlier on Saturday the military issued new evacuation orders for residents of the southern city, after retrieving the bodies of five Israelis and warning of new operations.
The United Nations said more than 180,000 Palestinians have fled Khan Younis since the Israeli operation began on Monday.
The evacuation orders and “intensified hostilities” have “significantly destabilized aid operations,” it added, reporting “dire water, hygiene and sanitation conditions” across the Palestinian territory.
The Israeli military said it launched the operation to halt rocket fire from the area, which already saw heavy fighting earlier this year.
On Wednesday, it said troops had retrieved the bodies of five Israelis from the area.
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They had been killed during the Hamas attacks of October 7 and their bodies taken back to Gaza, the military said.
On Saturday, it ordered residents from more parts of Khan Younis “to temporarily evacuate to the adjusted humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi” - the second such adjustment made to the safe zone within a week.
Meanwhile, the health ministry in Gaza said that at least 39,258 people have been killed in more than nine months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The toll includes 83 deaths in 48 hours, according to ministry figures, which also list 90,589 people as having been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.
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