Israeli strike kills at least 37 after evacuation order issued for Gaza humanitarian zone
Fresh Israeli strikes targeting Khan Younis on Monday have killed at least 37 people, according to health officials in Gaza.
The bombardment came as hundreds of people were evacuating, following a new order from the Israel Defence Force (IDF).
The IDF announced it was planning to start an operation against Hamas which will use a section of the Gaza strip it had designated a humanitarian zone, including the eastern part of Muwasi.
It claimed the operation followed Hamas militants embedding themselves in the area and using it to launch rockets toward Israel.
Speaking to the Associated Press a woman collapsed in exhaustion after saying it was her seventh or eighth displacement.
“Every day we are displaced,” said Kholoud al-Dadas, as she clutched her children.
“Where are the countries? Where is the world, where are the presidents, where are they? Come and see how we are, our children, and what is happening to us.”
Israel estimates at least 1.8 million Palestinians are in its declared humanitarian zone, with many having been uprooted multiple times during the military's campaign.
The zone covers an 8.6 mile stretch along the Mediterranean sea with much of the area made up of tent camps lacking in sanitation, medical facilities, and limited UN aid, humanitarian groups say.
The Israeli military also announced the deaths of hostages Yagev Buchshtab, 35, and Alex Dancyg, 76, both kidnapped from their homes on October 7.
There are approximately 120 hostages still being held in Gaza, though Israel believes more than 40 are no longer alive.
Negotiations seeking a ceasefire in Gaza are ongoing, with US and Israeli officials expressing hope that an agreement draws closer.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since left for Washington, in a much-anticipated trip to the United States to meet with Joe Biden and address Congress.
Talks are set to continue on Thursday with Egypt, Qatar and the U.S. pushing Israel and Hamas towards a phased ceasefire deal that would stop the fighting and free the hostages.
More than 39,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war according to the territory's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The war began with an assault by Hamas militants on southern Israel on October 7 that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took about 250 hostages.
Humanitarian conditions have worsened in Gaza following the discovery of the polio virus as sanitation systems have deteriorated.
The World Health Organisation says no one has been treated for symptoms caused by the disease.
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