Israeli army issues ‘final warning’ to Palestinians to leave their area in southern Gaza before attacks

By Abdelraouf Arnaout and Rania Abu Shamala

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army issued a “final warning” on Thursday to Palestinians in the Bani Suheila area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza to evacuate before launching airstrikes.

"To all residents of the Gaza Strip currently in the specified area in Bani Suheila, this is your final warning before the strike," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said, posting a map on his X account.

"You must immediately move westward to the known shelter centers," he said, claiming that rockets were fired from the area early Thursday.

More than 700 Palestinians were killed and over 900 others injured in a surprise aerial campaign by Israel on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 113,000 others injured in a brutal Israeli military campaign in Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.