Summary of the day …
Hundreds of Palestinians were fleeing Khan Younis in southern Gaza after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) once again bombarded the largely ruined city and ordered a mass evacuation of residents. Witnesses reported strikes on Tuesday in and around the city, where eight people were killed and more than 30 were wounded, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent and a medical source, Agence France-Presse said
The attacks came after a rare rocket barrage on Monday claimed by the militant group Islamic Jihad, which has fought alongside Hamas. The Israeli military said about “20 projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Khan Younis”, most of which were intercepted. It reported no casualties and said artillery was “striking the sources of the fire”
In the last 24 hours Israel has announced three more soldiers have been killed during its Gaza operation, bringing the total number of casualties for the IDF inside Gaza to 320. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich has protested about an Israeli decision to increase the electricity supply to Gaza. Defense minister Yoav Gallant has described the work, which will enable a desalination plant in Gaza to produce more water, as “a basic humanitarian need” but Smotrich has called it a “folly”, asking prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to intervene
The mother of rescued hostage Noa Argamani has died in Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv, Israeli media reports. Liora Argamani, who was 61, had been terminally ill, and was reunited with her daughter last month
Lebanon’s national news agency reports that an Israeli drone strike has hit an electrical transformer in the town of Taybeh in the south of the country
Here are some of the latest images sent to us over the news wires from Gaza.
