Israeli tanks returned to the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis Friday, forcing families to evacuate along congested roadways, as Palestinian fighters continued to attack Israeli troops from the ruins, residents and the military said.Israeli planes carried out strikes across the enclave on Thursday, killing at least 35 Palestinians, the Gaza health ministry said.Thousands of people fled eastern Khan Younis in vehicles and on foot, belongings heaped on donkey carts and motorcycle rickshaws as they made their slow escape along congested roads.With Israel and Lebanon braced for a possible escalation in fighting, leaders from Qatar, Egypt and the US tried to revive efforts to halt the fighting in Gaza, scheduling a new round of talks for Aug 15.In recent weeks Israeli forces which swept into nearly the entire Gaza Strip over more than ten months of war have been returning to the ruins of areas.In the latest assault, the military dropped leaflets ordering residents and displaced people sheltering in eastern Khan Younis, Gaza's main southern city, to evacuate from an area that has already seen repeated waves of fighting.Families packed into buses and cars, many seeking shelter in Al-Mawasi, a sandy stretch of ground along the coast, though some expressed fear over attacks there even though it is designated as a safe zone by Israeli forces.Um Raed Abu Elyan said she and her family were "running from the fire, we are running with our children from fear".Asked where would she go she replied: "God knows, we are walking now. They said to go to humanitarian areas, but there is no safe place here in Gaza. It is all destroyed and damaged." Later Friday, an Israeli air strike killed six Palestinians in Al-Mawasi, medics said. Another strike on a house nearby killed four people, including a girl, and wounded several others, they added.Among the dead were two local journalists, Tamim Abu Muaamar and Abdallah Al-Susi, along with several of their relatives, medics and fellow journalists said. Their deaths brought the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli fire to 168 since Oct 7, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said.The newly appointed overall leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, is believed to run the battle, possibly from the tunnels of Gaza.In a statement, the Hamas armed wing vowed loyalty to the newly appointed overall leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwarin, a show of challenge to Israel.Fears are growing of a possible broader conflict. Iran has vowed to retaliate after Hamas's leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran and Israel killed a top commander of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in a strike on a Beirut suburb.
August 09, 2024 | 11:48 PM