Israeli Airstrikes Devastate South Gaza Apartments, 32 Dead

• Israeli airstrikes in south Gaza kill 32 Palestinians
• Civilians urged to relocate as Israel targets Hamas in the south
• Concerns rise for 400,000 residents of Khan Younis

On Saturday, Israeli airstrikes targeted residential blocks in south Gaza, resulting in the death of at least 32 Palestinians, according to medics.

Israel had previously cautioned civilians to relocate, shifting its focus to Hamas in the southern part of the enclave after gaining control in the north. This move may force hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who had already fled south from the earlier assault on Gaza City, to relocate once again.

The situation is particularly concerning for the more than 400,000 residents of Khan Younis, exacerbating an already severe humanitarian crisis.

“We’re asking people to relocate. I know it’s not easy for many of them, but we don’t want to see civilians caught up in the crossfire,” Mark Regev, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told MSNBC on Friday.

During the night on Saturday, an airstrike on two apartments within a multi-storey building in a bustling residential area of Khan Younis resulted in the death of 26 Palestinians and injuries to 23 others, as reported by health officials.

Eyad Al Zaeem, speaking to Reuters, shared the heartbreaking loss of his aunt, her children, and grandchildren in the Khan Younis airstrike. He emphasized that they had evacuated from north Gaza based on Israeli army directives, tragically perishing in the very place they were told would be safe.

“All of them were martyred. They had nothing to do with the (Hamas) resistance,” said Zaeem, standing outside the morgue at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis where 26 bodies were laid out before they were to be carried by loved ones to burials.

In Deir Al Balah, located a few kilometers to the north, six Palestinians lost their lives when an airstrike targeted a house, as reported by health authorities.

The Israeli military statement on Saturday did not specify the locations of the airstrikes. It only mentioned that over the past 24 hours, its air force targeted numerous Gaza sites, including militants, command centers, rocket launch sites, and munitions factories.

Israel asserts that Hamas fighters use residential areas in densely populated Gaza as cover, a claim denied by the Islamist movement.

On Thursday, Israel dropped leaflets over Khan Younis, urging residents to seek shelter, indicating imminent military operations on the ground.

Regev stated that Israeli forces would need to advance into the city to remove Hamas fighters from underground tunnels and bunkers. However, he noted the absence of such “enormous infrastructure” in less built-up areas to the west, closer to the Mediterranean coast.

According to Regev, the western areas’ proximity to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt could facilitate the swift delivery of humanitarian aid.

Israel has pledged to eliminate the Hamas militant group controlling the Gaza Strip since its October 7 incursion into Israel. Subsequently, Israel extensively bombed Gaza City, reduced the northern half of the strip, and displaced approximately two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians.

Many displaced individuals fear that their homelessness may become permanent.

On Friday, Gaza health authorities revised the death toll to over 12,000, including 5,000 children. The UN considers these figures credible, although updates are infrequent due to the challenges of collecting information.

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