The Israeli army has launched a new military operation in the Khan Younis area in the southern Gaza Strip.
Intelligence had revealed that there were fighters in the area and that they had reorganised themselves there since the last withdrawal of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), the military said on Friday.
In addition, the air force attacked more than 30 targets associated with the Palestinian Islamist group, Hamas, including weapons depots, the IDF said.
It noted several militants were killed in those attacks.
The Israeli military has been active against Hamas combat units in Khan Younis on several occasions and over longer periods of time.
It, however, subsequently withdrew to fixed positions outside the city.
The army was last active there in July before it withdrew again at the end of the month.
According to the Hamas-controlled media office, 255 people were killed and around 300 others injured during the last Israeli operation there.
Even 10 months after the terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas, and the ground offensive launched by Israel soon afterwards, extremists in the Gaza Strip were still firing rockets at Israel sporadically.
On Monday, Palestinian militants fired 15 rockets at Israel.
According to media reports, the military assumes that the rockets were launched in the area of the city of Khan Younis.
The information could not be independently verified.
The war in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented massacre on Oct. 7 2023 in which more than 1,200 people in Israel were killed by Hamas.
No fewer than 250 hostages were taken by the militant group to the Gaza Strip.
In Israel’s air and ground offensive in Gaza, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said more than 39,600 people had died.
Israel has come under international criticism given the high number of civilian casualties and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. (dpa/NAN)
