Israel-Hamas Gaza clashes intensify... Additional evacuation orders in the south

As Israel expands its ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip, clashes between Israeli forces and Hamas are intensifying in northern Gaza as well.

On the 9th (local time), according to AP News and the US CNN, the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the central city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza and continued ground operations.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Israeli military explained that the 98th Division, supported by the air force, continued fighting Hamas in Khan Yunis, and that explosives near a mosque (Islamic place of worship) detonated during airstrikes. They added that other units are conducting operations attacking Hamas command centers and tunnels across the south.

Israel issued additional evacuation orders to residents related to the Khan Yunis assault. The Israeli government posted a map highlighting six blocks within Khan Yunis in Arabic on social media platform X, instructing residents in the area to "evacuate immediately."

Fighting in northern Gaza is also intensifying. The Israeli military stated that it began attacks after receiving information that Hamas had occupied buildings in the Zaytun area of northern Gaza and posted related footage.

Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, also reported fierce close-range battles with Israeli forces west of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on the same day, with clashes occurring in Zaytun as well.

Civilian casualties are increasing. Local medical personnel reported that hospitals and ambulances are being attacked as fighting escalates in northern Gaza. An official at Al-Awda Hospital said Israeli forces surrounded the hospital with tanks and fired at people trying to enter or leave, resulting in the deaths of a woman on the street and a hospital staff member at a window inside the building. The Gaza Ministry of Health also reported that two medical workers were shot dead by Israeli forces inside Kamal Adwan Hospital on the same day. Residents said airstrikes and shelling continued in Rafah, a border city that Israel had designated as a "safe zone" for Gaza civilians.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll in Gaza exceeded 17,700 on that day. In addition to officially confirmed deaths, thousands are presumed dead or missing, buried under building rubble. Displaced people are in desperate situations, forced to sleep outdoors while hearing bombing sounds, struggling to find even drinking water or food.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.