Dozens of families displaced as Israeli Forces advance east of Khan Younis

Israeli forces on Monday expanded their control over areas east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, ordering residents to evacuate in what Palestinians described as a new violation of the ceasefire in place since October.

Residents of the al-Raqab neighbourhood, northeast of the Bani Suheila roundabout, told Anadolu Agency that Israeli drones dropped leaflets at dawn instructing them to leave their homes immediately. The leaflets warned that the area was under army control and that remaining there would put civilians’ lives at risk.

According to local sources, the targeted area lies only tens of metres from positions still held by Israeli forces east of the city, despite provisions of the ceasefire agreement that restrict military expansion beyond the designated “yellow line”.

The move forced dozens of families to flee their homes. Abu Nidal al-Fajm, a resident of the neighbourhood, said the area had been designated as safe under the agreement, noting that several evacuated homes nearby had been bombed in recent days.

The “yellow line”, established under the ceasefire, separates areas of Israeli military deployment in the east from zones where Palestinian civilians are permitted to move in the west.

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