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Israel intensifies its attack on southern Gaza, inflicting renewed worry about civilian deaths

December 2, 2023



KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel pounded objectives within the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, intensifying a renewed offensive that adopted a weeklong truce with Hamas and giving upward push to renewed issues about civilian casualties.No less than 200 Palestinians had been killed for the reason that combating resumed Friday morning, consistent with the Well being Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, at the same time as the US advised best friend Israel to do the whole thing imaginable to give protection to civilians.“That is going to be essential going ahead,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Friday after conferences with Arab international ministers in Dubai, wrapping up his 3rd Heart East excursion for the reason that warfare began. “It’s one thing we’re going to be taking a look at very carefully.”A lot of Israel’s assaults Saturday had been targeted at the Khan Younis space in southern Gaza, the place the army stated it had struck greater than 50 Hamas objectives with airstrikes, tank hearth and its army.The army dropped leaflets the day ahead of caution citizens to go away however, today Friday, there have been no reviews of huge numbers of folks leaving, consistent with the United International locations.“There’s no position to move,” lamented Emad Hajar, who fled together with his spouse and 3 youngsters from the northern the city of Beit Lahia a month in the past to hunt safe haven in Khan Younis.“They expelled us from the north, and now they’re pushing us to go away the south.”Israel’s army stated it additionally performed moves within the north, and hit greater than 400 objectives in all around the Gaza Strip.Some 2 million folks — virtually Gaza’s complete inhabitants — are filled into the territory’s south, the place Israel advised folks to relocate on the warfare’s get started and has since vowed to increase its flooring attack. Not able to enter north Gaza or neighboring Egypt, their most effective break out is to transport round inside the 220-square-kilometer (85-square-mile) space.In line with U.S. calls to give protection to civilians, the Israeli army launched an internet map, but it surely has completed extra to confuse than to lend a hand.It divides the Gaza Strip into loads of numbered, haphazardly drawn parcels, from time to time throughout roads or blocks, and asks citizens to be told the selection of their location in case of an eventual evacuation.“The e-newsletter does now not specify the place folks must evacuate to,” the U.N. place of business for coordinating humanitarian problems within the Palestinian territory famous in its day-to-day record. “It’s unclear how the ones living in Gaza would get entry to the map with out electrical energy and amid recurrent telecommunications cuts.”Within the first use of the map to reserve evacuations, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, specified spaces within the north and the south to be cleared out Saturday in posts on X, previously Twitter.Adraee indexed numbered zones underneath evacuation order – however the highlighted spaces on maps connected to his submit didn’t fit the numbered zones.Egypt has expressed issues the renewed offensive may just purpose Palestinians to check out and move into its territory. In a commentary overdue Friday, the Egyptian International Ministry stated the pressured switch of Palestinians “is a crimson line.”U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was once in Dubai on Saturday for the COP28 local weather convention, was once anticipated to stipulate proposals with regional leaders to “put Palestinian voices on the middle” of making plans the following steps for the Gaza Strip after the battle, consistent with the White Space. U.S. President Joe Biden’s management has been emphasizing the will for an eventual two-state answer, with Israel and a Palestinian state coexisting.The renewed hostilities have additionally heightened issues for 136 hostages who, consistent with the Israeli army, are nonetheless held captive by way of Hamas and different militants after 105 had been freed right through the truce. For households of ultimate hostages, the truce’s cave in was once a blow to hopes their family members might be the following out after days of seeing others freed. The Israeli military stated Friday it had showed the deaths of 4 extra hostages, bringing the overall recognized lifeless to seven.All over the truce, Israel freed 240 Palestinians from its prisons. Maximum of the ones launched from each side had been girls and youngsters.The warfare started after the Oct. 7 assault by way of Hamas and different militants, who killed about 1,200 folks, most commonly civilians, in southern Israel and took round 240 folks captive.After the top of the truce, militants in Gaza resumed firing rockets into Israel, and combating broke out between Israel and Hezbollah militants running alongside its northern border with Lebanon.HUMANITARIAN AID HALTHundreds of 1000’s of folks fled northern Gaza to Khan Younis and different portions of the south previous within the warfare, a part of an atypical mass exodus that has left three-quarters of the inhabitants displaced and going through well-liked shortages of meals, water and different provides.Because the resumption of hostilities, no help convoys or gasoline deliveries have entered Gaza, and humanitarian operations inside Gaza have in large part halted, consistent with the U.N.The World Rescue Committee, an help workforce running in Gaza, warned the go back of combating will “wipe out even the minimum reduction” supplied by way of the truce and “turn out catastrophic for Palestinian civilians.”Up till the truce started, greater than 13,300 Palestinians had been killed in Israel’s attack, kind of two-thirds of them girls and minors, consistent with the Well being Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and fighters.The toll is most likely a lot upper, as officers have most effective sporadically up to date the depend since Nov. 11. The ministry says 1000’s extra persons are feared lifeless underneath the rubble.Israel says it’s concentrated on Hamas operatives and blames civilian casualties at the militants, accusing them of running in residential neighborhoods. Israel says 77 of its infantrymen had been killed within the flooring offensive in northern Gaza. It claims to have killed 1000’s of militants, with out offering proof.___Magdy reported from Cairo, Emerging from Bangkok. Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed to this tale.___Full AP protection at

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