More people killed in Gaza's Khan Younis as 'cycle of fear and displacement' continues

Israeli attacks kill at least 17 in north and central Gaza on Tuesday, as death toll from Khan Younis rises to more than 80

Displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Younis after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order for parts of the city in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday. AFP

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Seventeen people were killed in early morning Israeli strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, as more deaths were confirmed from attacks on Monday in the southern city of Khan Younis.

Eight people were killed in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, with another eight killed in an attack on a family home in Gaza city, the official Wafa news agency reported.

One person was killed in shelling on the city of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza, and more strikes were reported in the south, west of Rafah.

At least 80 people have now been confirmed dead from Monday's strikes on Khan Younis, with more than 200 wounded and 30 people still under the rubble, Wafa reported on Tuesday morning.

Many were killed in strikes on eastern parts of the city that began soon after the Israeli military ordered civilians to leave the area.

The latest evacuation has reduced the southern humanitarian zone from 45 square kilometres to 28, out of an original 65 square kilometres, a civil defence official said in a statement on Monday.

The safe zone in central Gaza is only 20 square kilometres, said Dr Mohammed Al Mughir, the director of supply and equipment management at the General Directorate of Civil Defence, leaving 1.7 million people crammed into Gaza's two safe zones.

Continued Israeli operations hinder rescue efforts, he added, saying three civil defence crew members were wounded in an attack while providing relief in the southern town of Bani Suhaila, where several children were killed on Monday.

Rescue vehicles were also damaged after being targeted by the army during a fire rescue in the Sheikh Nasser neighbourhood in eastern Khan Younis.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said the order to evacuate Khan Younis meant “more suffering and displacement” for civilians.

“Families had to pack what is left of their belongings and run, amid bombardment, and with nowhere safe to go,” the agency said.

“The situation is impossible. The cycle of fear and displacement has gone on too long. Everyone is exhausted.”

The casualties from the Khan Younis strikes were taken to the overcrowded Nasser Hospital. Videos on local media showed families huddling at the entrance and around the hospital without shelter.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people and injured nearly 90,000 since the war began on October 7, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza.

Hundreds have also been killed in the occupied West Bank, where at least eight people were killed by the Israeli army on Tuesday.

Five people died in a drone strike in Tulkarm refugee camp, where a child was also reported killed by live ammunition, according to Wafa. Israeli bulldozers were seen removing the bodies, while ambulances crews were prevented from entering the camp.

Local sources said a “tight siege” had been imposed on the camp since dawn, with at least 25 military vehicles entering different neighbourhoods.

Israeli media said the strike killed commanders of the local Hamas military wing and Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.

Two men were also shot dead near Hebron.

Hours earlier, Palestine's main ruling party Fatah and militant group Hamas signed a declaration to discuss forming a unity government with 12 other factions once the war is over, during talks in China.

The US has been advocating for a Palestinian Authority-ruled Gaza, and the withdrawal of Hamas as the de facto government there. Israel has rejected any future scenario in which Hamas is involved in the governance of the West Bank and Gaza after the war is over.

“China’s smooth approach to dialogue may help reach an agreement in the future, but in my opinion the Palestinian factions are waiting for the end of the war to see who is victorious so they set their conditions,” said Jehad Harb, a researcher on Palestinian politics and government.

“There is no real hope to reach a final agreement before that phase, despite a popular Palestinian desire to end the division.”

Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, forcing out the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, which administers scattered pockets of the West Bank.