Thousands of Palestinians returned to the devastated city of Khan Younis on Tuesday after Israeli forces ended a week-long incursion aimed at preventing the resistance group Hamas from regrouping.
Palestinian rescue workers and civilians retrieved bodies from the streets of the deserted battle zone, transporting the corpses wrapped in rugs to morgues using cars and donkey carts.
The Hamas-run Gaza media office reported that Israel’s eight-day raid in eastern Khan Younis resulted in the deaths of 255 Palestinians and injuries to over 300 others. At least 30 people were reported missing.
The Israeli military stated that its forces had killed more than 150 Palestinian gunmen during the week-long operation, destroyed militant tunnels, and seized weapons.
Following the withdrawal of Israeli forces, residents returned on foot and with carts carrying their belongings, only to find many of their homes damaged or destroyed.
The Hamas media office reported that over 300 homes were struck by Israeli fire during the raid, with at least 30 of these homes being inhabited at the time of the attacks.
Witnesses described how army forces bulldozed the main cemetery in Bani Suhaila, a town on the eastern outskirts of Khan Younis that was the focal point of the raid, as well as nearby houses and roads.
“I am coming back and I have faith in God. I don’t know whether we will live or die, but it is all for the sake of the homeland,” said Etimad Al-Masri, who walked at least five kilometres back to her home. “Despite the suffering, we are patient, and God’s willing, we will have victory.”
Many residents recounted being displaced from their homes multiple times. “We hope there will be a ceasefire and calm. We hope that they act on a ceasefire so that we can live in security and safety,” said Walid Abu Nsaira, carrying some of his belongings on his shoulder as he returned home.
As the assault on Khan Younis wound down, Israel ordered thousands of people to evacuate homes in Al-Bureij in the central Gaza Strip and launched strikes there, seemingly preparing for a new raid.
Medics reported that an Israeli air strike in nearby Al-Nuseirat killed 10 Palestinians as they fled from Bureij on Tuesday, and another strike killed four Palestinians inside Bureij.
Ten months into the conflict, Israeli forces have nearly completed their operations across the entire Gaza Strip and have spent the past several weeks launching new assaults on areas where they previously claimed to have eliminated Hamas presence.
Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes, with many already displaced multiple times.
Efforts to negotiate a ceasefire through mediators have faltered repeatedly. On Monday, Israel and Hamas blamed each other for the lack of progress.
Hamas seeks a ceasefire agreement to end the conflict in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the war will only end once Hamas is defeated. Disagreements also persist over how any potential deal would be implemented.
The conflict began with a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.
Since then, Israeli forces have killed over 39,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities, who do not differentiate between combatants and civilians but state that more than half of the dead are women and children. Israel, which has lost around 330 soldiers in Gaza, claims that a third of the Palestinian fatalities are fighters.
