An Israeli ground assault in the southern Gaza Strip on Friday forced tens of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes and shelters, many for a third time or more, even as the United States and some Arab allies pressed Israel and Hamas to restart peace talks.
Between 60,000 and 70,000 people had fled by Thursday evening after the Israeli military ordered people in the city of Khan Younis to leave, according to UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. More continued to flee into the night and into Friday.
The Israeli military said its troops were “engaged in combat both above and below-ground” in the Khan Younis area, in an attack involving ground troops, fighter jets, helicopter gunships and paratroopers, and that the air force had struck more than 30 targets. The assault, the military said, was “part of the effort to degrade” Hamas’ capabilities “as they attempt to regroup.”
The 10-month war in Gaza has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, and left much of the enclave in rubble.
The Israeli military has already carried out multiple ground offensives into Khan Younis, leaving large parts of the city — once a lush area where many residents lived off the fruits and vegetables they grew — unrecognizable to its residents. The assault Friday follows a pattern of the Israeli military returning to areas it previously overran, some more than once to combat Hamas fighters.
Seeking to renew truce negotiations, President Joe Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar issued a statement late Thursday calling for talks starting next Thursday, and that they would be willing to present a “final bridging proposal” to both sides. There was “no further time to waste,” they said, a sign of the growing impatience over the stalled peace talks.
The political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed in an explosion in Tehran in late July. Hamas and Iran blamed Israel, which has not commented publicly, and Iran vowed revenge for what it called a violation of its sovereignty. Hours earlier, an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon killed a top leader of Hezbollah, which also promised retaliation. There have been no cease-fire negotiations since.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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