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Israel strikes kill 20 in southern Gaza following evacuation orders

July 22, 2024 at 10:48 am

Palestinians injured in an Israeli attack are brought to Nasser Hospital for treatment in Khan Yunis, Gaza on July 22, 2024 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]

At least 20 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the southern Gaza Strip shortly after Israel issued new evacuation orders today, local media reported.

On Telegram, Al-Aqsa TV channel said: “20 martyrs fell and several were injured in air strikes and artillery shelling on towns east of Khan Yunis.”

Israeli fighter jets also conducted a strike targeting a site in the village of Qizan an-Najjar in the city, the channel added.

The attacks came after the Israeli army issued new orders earlier in the morning for Palestinians in the eastern neighbourhoods of Khan Yunis to “evacuate immediately” and move towards the newly established humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi.

In a statement, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed that “the presence of multiple military operations and rocket fire from the eastern part of the humanitarian zone has made staying there dangerous.”

Meanwhile, Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis issued an urgent call for blood donations through a statement published by Gaza’s Ministry of Health, citing a severe shortage of blood units for the injured and patients within the facility amid the latest Israeli operations in Khan Yunis.

Israeli military orders for Palestinians to evacuate immediately from areas deemed combat zones and move to the humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi do not guarantee their safety.

Two weeks ago, the Israeli army committed a massacre in Al-Mawasi, which it claimed was a ‘safe zone’, resulting in the deaths of 90 Palestinians and the injuries of 300 in a series of air strikes targeting tents and displacement shelters.

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