Israeli forces suffered new losses in Khan Yunis amid escalating bombardment across Gaza, where 72 Palestinians were killed on Thursday alone.
Israeli media reported the evacuation of wounded soldiers on Friday following what was described as a “difficult security incident” in Khan Yunis, amid reports of a new ambush targeting Israeli occupation forces in the area.
Simultaneously, multiple areas across the Gaza Strip came under renewed Israeli bombardment, resulting in numerous casualties.
According to the Hadashot Hamot website, fierce clashes broke out in Khan Yunis, prompting the intervention of Israeli warplanes in support of an engineering unit operating on the ground.
The report noted repeated attempts by helicopters to land in the area and evacuate the wounded. Settler-affiliated platforms also confirmed that military helicopters transported injured soldiers to hospitals inside Israel.
Khan Yunis Ambush Sparks Israeli Outrage as Resistance Operations Expand
Israeli media stated that the incident is being handled under full military censorship, indicating its severity.
Meanwhile, an Al-Jazeera correspondent reported sustained artillery shelling and airstrikes northwest of Khan Yunis, along with gunfire from Israeli drones and tanks.
The latest escalation follows a deadly ambush last Tuesday in Khan Yunis, where an Israeli officer and six soldiers were reportedly killed in an operation claimed by the Al-Qassam Brigades.
According to the group’s account, several soldiers were burned alive after a Qassam fighter hurled an explosive device into their armored vehicle. The incident has reignited internal Israeli debate about the continuation of the war.
Ongoing Attacks on Civilians
Israeli airstrikes continued across the Gaza Strip into Friday morning, including direct attacks on Palestinians gathering to receive humanitarian aid.
Citing medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital, Al-Jazeera reported that one Palestinian was killed and five others were wounded when Israeli forces targeted civilians south of Wadi Gaza in the central Strip.
Additional shelling struck the Zaytoun and Sheja’iya neighborhoods in southern and eastern Gaza City.
Air raids were also carried out in Jabaliya and Beit Lahia in the north, while strikes on central Khan Yunis reportedly killed a doctor and his niece after warplanes bombed a tent sheltering displaced families in Al-Mawasi.
41 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Aid Death Toll Surpasses 500
Hospital sources in Gaza said that 72 Palestinians were killed on Thursday alone, including seven near aid distribution centers. Fatalities were reported across Khan Yunis, Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Gaza City, and Jabaliya.
Since Israel resumed its military campaign in March—following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement—it has intensified its attacks on Gaza. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, approximately 6,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 20,000 wounded during this renewed offensive.
(PC, AJA)
