70 massacred as Israeli tanks attack Khan Younis

Israel sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area after ordering evacuations of some districts and at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, Gaza medics said yesterday.The Palestinians were killed by tank salvoes in the town of Bani Suhaila and other towns fringing the eastern side of Khan Younis, with the area also bombarded from the air, they said.Residents of the densely built-up area of southern Gaza said the tanks advanced for more than two kilometres into Bani Suhaila, forcing residents to flee under fire.The Gaza health ministry said the dead included several women and children and that at least 200 other people had been wounded.The Israeli offensive since October 7 has killed at least 39,006 Palestinians as of yesterday, Gaza health authorities said.Around 400,000 people were living in the targeted areas and dozens of families had begun to leave their houses, Palestinian officials said, adding they were not given time to get out of harm’s way before the Israeli strikes began.Some families fled on donkey carts, others on foot, carrying mattresses and other belongings.Talks in Doha on ThursdayAFP adds from Doha: An Israeli delegation will travel to Doha on Thursday to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange, a source with knowledge of the talks said. The delegation would meet with mediator Qatar’s Prime Minister HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani. Qatar, along with Egypt and the United States, has been engaged in months of behind-the-scenes efforts to broker a Gaza truce and a hostage-prisoner swap.