The area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza is in a state of siege: Israeli troops and civilians say they cannot reach any of its hospitals
Medical personnel in southern Gaza said fighting intensified on Monday, with Israeli tanks and troops entering areas around hospitals.
Many people were killed and wounded in Khan Youns on Monday, but no specific number has been provided by the Red Crescent or the health ministry. Nahed Abu Taaema, the director of surgery at Nasser Hospital, the largest hospital in southern Gaza, told Al Jazeera in a televised interview that it had received 100 wounded people and 50 bodies.
Naseem Hasan, an ambulance officer at Nasser, said in an interview that tanks were about 100 meters south of the hospital and “can target anyone.” He said that one ambulance transporting a person who had been shot in the head couldn’t reach Nasser this morning, and had to go to a hospital in Rafah for three hours.
In a statement, the Red Crescent said the presence of Israeli troops near Al-Amal Hospital, which it operates, meant that its ambulances could not reach the injured in Khan Younis. The person said that anyone who was attempting to move around the area was in danger.
“Khan Younis is very dangerous now,” Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the Red Crescent, said in an interview. The entire district of Khan Younis is in a state of siege.
Israel’s military said on Tuesday that it had encircled the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, a significant step in its effort to defeat Hamas. The push has resulted in intense fighting and bombardments in an area packed with civilians who have fled from their homes in other parts of the territory.
Israeli forces, using thousands of airstrikes and a ground invasion, largely secured military control of northern Gaza before pushing south. The United Nations said this month that more than 60 percent of homes in Gaza had been damaged or destroyed during the campaign, while almost all of the strip’s 2.2 million people have been displaced from their homes.
Several people were killed and others injured after an Israeli strike on the school, according to the Wafa news agency. The report could not be independently verified. The people who went to the school were told by the Israeli army that Al-MAwasi was a safe area.
The Israeli military did not reply to a request for comment. On Sunday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israeli forces in southern Gaza were acting with great precision and would be “expanding” their operations in Khan Younis.
“The plumes of smoke from the tanks, artillery and planes belonging to the Air Force will continue to cover the Gaza Strip’s skies until we achieve our goals, chief among them toppling Hamas and returning the hostages to their homes,” he said in a statement.
The Gaza health ministry said on Monday that Israeli strikes had killed 190 people and wounded 340 others in the enclave over the previous 24 hours. It didn’t specify how many of the casualties were in Khan Younis.
The military said that it had targeted terrorist cells who were near the troops, those who were launching anti-tank missiles and terror operatives who rigged compounds with explosives. The military said that there were ready-to-launch rockets, military compounds, shafts and numerous weapons located.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel began the campaign after Hamas attacked the country on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people and taking around 240 people hostage, according to the Israeli authorities. More than 100 of those hostages remain in captivity.