By Hosni Nadim
GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) Five Palestinians were killed and two others injured on Thursday following an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential home in the northeastern part of Khan Younis, a city located in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Civil Defense reported said in a statement that the bodies of the five victims were recovered from the Al Qarara town in eastern Khan Younis, while search efforts continued for potential survivors beneath the rubble.
The airstrike caused significant damage to the targeted home, and rescue teams, alongside local residents, are still searching for any missing individuals, witnesses reported.
The attack occurred in the midst of a large-scale evacuation of several areas in eastern Khan Younis, following warnings from the Israeli military earlier in the day.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee called on residents in the towns of Salqa, al-Qarara, Bani Suheila, Abasan, and Khuza'a, Sheikh Nasser, al-Satar, and al-Mahatta to evacuate immediately towards what he called a “humanitarian zone” west of Khan Younis.
Thousands of Palestinians are fleeing the area under intense artillery fire, adding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel has continued a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
Nearly 39,700 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,700 injured, according to local health authorities.
Over 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
*Writing by Mohammad Sio