GAZA, (PIC)
As daylight filled the skies over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Israeli aircraft loaded with American-made bombs began to shadow the area. These bombs were soon dropped on the heads of displaced citizens, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries. This event is part of one of the bloodiest wars of modern times, a conflict that has plagued the people of Gaza since October 7, 2023.
The residents, who have been forced to constantly move from one place to another, find no respite or stability. They received warnings from Israel to leave their makeshift tents. As they started to relocate, they were unexpectedly attacked by Israeli aircraft at 7:30 AM on Monday (22/7/2024). The assault resulted in 77 deaths and more than 200 injuries, with reports indicating that many victims’ bodies remain unaccounted for due to the intense bombardment.
According to the Ministry of Health and medical sources, the toll from the massacre in Khan Yunis quickly rose to 77 dead and over 200 injured within a few hours. The Government Media Office (GMO) reported receiving 1,217 pleas from trapped families seeking rescue.
The GMO statement accused the Israeli occupation army of committing crimes against humanity by indiscriminately bombing homes and gatherings of displaced people. This specific attack left 57 people dead, including many children and women. Nasser Medical Complex alone received 49 of the deceased, with others reaching different hospitals or remaining on the streets due to the heavy bombardment, which also targeted civil defense teams. The assault resulted in 196 injuries in just 10 hours, and the death toll later surpassed 70.
The GMO also reported additional deaths in the streets and under the rubble of targeted homes. It received more than 1,217 distress calls from families pleading for rescue from the relentless and random shelling by the Israeli army on civilians and displaced persons in the area. The Office noted that at least 10 homes were bombed, some with residents still inside.
The intense Israeli bombardment coincided with the citizens’ attempts to evacuate their homes following repeated orders from the Israeli occupation army to leave. This is the second such order since the beginning of the month in Khan Younis, exposing the fallacy of the so-called humanitarian zones which the Israeli army has targeted multiple times, committing numerous massacres.
Shortly before the bombardment, the occupation army issued new evacuation orders for areas including the municipalities of Bani Suhaila and its neighborhoods, Abasan al-Kabira and al-Jadida and their neighborhoods, al-Qarara and its neighborhoods, al-Fukhari and its neighborhoods, Khuza’a and al-Qarayin, al-Manara, al-Salam, Juhr al-Deek, Qizan al-Najjar, Sheikh Nasser, al-Mahatta, al-Satar, and al-Katiba. These areas are home to over 250,000 people, most of whom have been displaced multiple times and are now seeking new shelters in the already crowded al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis.
Before allowing the eastern Khan Yunis residents to evacuate, the Israeli forces launched intensive raids starting at 7:30 AM. These raids targeted gatherings and homes in the towns of al-Qarara, Sheikh Nasser neighborhood, the city center, Abasan al-Kabira, and Bani Suhaila, alongside heavy artillery shelling on the eastern towns.
Two civil defense ambulance crews were injured while heading to a bombed area at the Bani Suhaila roundabout east of Khan Yunis.
Khan Yunis is the second-largest city in the Gaza Strip by area and population. It is located in the far southwest of Gaza, 20 kilometers from the Egyptian border and 25 kilometers from Gaza City.
The city has a heroic history of resisting both British and Israeli occupations, with numerous battles and clashes occurring in 1956 and 1967. It was also the launching point for the first Intifada in 1987.
In December 2023, the city experienced aerial and artillery bombardment during the Israeli assault on Gaza following Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, leading to a ground incursion and months of fierce clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian resistance. The Israeli army withdrew from the city on April 7, 2023, after committing massacres against civilians and completely destroying infrastructure, including roads, hospitals, residential buildings, and schools. However, sporadic air raids and ground incursions continue, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.
The residents and displaced people of Khan Yunis struggle to rebuild their lives with the minimal resources available, only to face renewed attacks that undo their hard-won progress. The ongoing suffering includes displacement, bombardment, and a severe lack of basic needs such as food, hospitals, and public services, affecting every citizen. Every house in the city has been hit, whether abandoned or destroyed with its residents inside.
Life becomes even harsher for the sick who need medical care but find no hospitals and are forced to stay in their homes or camps, only for the occupation army to force them into yet another displacement or kill them without mercy.
