DaysofPal- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) have intensified artillery and air strikes targeting the eastern regions of Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, throughout the night and into Thursday morning, in one of the heaviest bombardments in recent weeks.
According to local reporters and eyewitnesses, Israeli warplanes and drones struck several neighborhoods, including Ma’an, Sheikh Nasser, and Jorat al-Lout, while artillery shells rained down from positions along the eastern border.
Continuous explosions echoed across the city as rescue teams struggled to reach the affected areas due to ongoing shelling and destroyed roads.
In addition to the airstrikes, Israeli bulldozers and armored vehicles carried out widespread demolitions in the eastern and southeastern parts of the city.
Local sources said entire blocks of residential homes and agricultural lands were leveled overnight, part of a deliberate campaign to render parts of Gaza “uninhabitable.”
The Gaza Civil Defense reported that multiple families remain trapped under the rubble, and emergency workers have been unable to access several bombed sites because of the intensity of the attacks.
The Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it had received dozens of wounded civilians, many of them women and children.
Residents reported a near-total power outage in parts of the city, as Israeli strikes damaged key infrastructure, including electricity lines and water networks.
“We heard explosions without pause for hours,” said one resident, adding, “The ground was shaking, and people were screaming in the dark. It felt like the end.”
The latest bombardment follows a series of Israeli ceasefire violations in recent days, despite a truce deal that went into effect earlier this month.
Palestinian officials said the Israeli occupation is using the lull to regroup and continue its destruction of southern Gaza’s urban centers.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that Khan Younis, already sheltering tens of thousands of displaced families from northern Gaza, is on the brink of collapse.
“There is no safe place left,” said a field worker with a local aid agency, noting that “The bombings, demolitions, and blockades have turned the city into a wasteland.”
The renewed Israeli escalation comes amid international criticism over the ongoing Israeli siege of Gaza, which has caused catastrophic shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies and left much of the enclave in ruins.
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