Gaza War: Death toll passes 22,000 as Israel continues assault against Hamas

Residents of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip reported that Israeli soldiers attacked the town on Tuesday using tank fire and airstrikes. Israeli ground forces and Hamas militants engaged in combat in other areas of the broken-up Palestinian enclave.

Israel claimed to have killed scores of militants in the northern part of Gaza in the last 24 hours. Locals said that the central Al-Bureij refugee camp had been shelled in some areas by Israeli tanks.After nearly three months of fighting in the Hamas-ruled enclave, the Gaza health ministry said that 207 Palestinians had died in the last 24 hours, raising the total number of recorded deaths to above 22,000.

According to Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas commanders are thought to be sheltering in places above the tunnel network, which is the focus of operations in the south surrounding Khan Younis.

“We are reaching them all ways. There already is engagement and there are hostages there too sadly,” he told troops in Gaza in footage shown on Israeli television.

Amidst widespread concern over the situation of Gaza’s citizens, Israel declared its intention to withdraw some forces, ushering in a new phase of the war against Hamas and prompting the most recent violence.

Israeli bombings have left 2.3 million people living in the region in ruins and created a humanitarian crisis that has left many thousands of them penniless and in danger of starvation owing to a shortage of food supplies. Many months remain in the offensive, according to Israeli officials.

In the southern city of Rafah in Gaza, Shadi Maarouf, his wife Safeya, and their six children braved the darkness and cold to congregate around a campfire in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians.

The Israeli military stated in its daily briefing that over the previous day, its forces had targeted militants in Gaza City, which is located in the enclave’s north, as well as in unidentified sites along the Mediterranean coast.

“In Jabaliya area, troops killed dozens of terrorists, among them those who attempted to plant explosive devices, others who operated drones and those who were armed identified driving toward the forces,” the military said in a statement.

According to the military, troops also demolished missile launch pads in Khan Younis and a UN school in Al-Bureij.

Residents of Gaza reported that Israeli tanks and aeroplanes intensified their bombardment of Khan Younis’ eastern and northern regions, where tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees had taken up residence after being driven from their homes in the heavily populated area.

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, Israeli soldiers attacked its Khan Younis offices, causing multiple casualties and injuries among the internally displaced individuals taking refuge there.

(With agency inputs)