Dozens killed in Israeli bombardment after failed operation in Khan Younis
DaysofPal- At least 46 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday in a new wave of Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip, as Israeli forces launched intense airstrikes, drone strikes, and a failed special operation in Khan Younis.
Medical sources confirmed the fatalities and injuries came from multiple targeted areas, including Gaza City, Deir al-Balah, Khan Younis, Rafah, and several refugee camps, as part of what Israel described as the start of its 'Operation Gideon's Chariots.'
In Gaza City, two women were killed in an Israeli strike on Wadi al-Arais in the Shujaiya neighborhood. Additional strikes in the Zeitoun neighborhood claimed three more lives, while in Al-Tuffah, an airstrike on a residential home killed three Palestinians, with another body pulled from the rubble. A separate drone strike in the same area killed five civilians, according to medics.
Further south, five people were killed and several injured when Israeli warplanes targeted a commercial center in Deir al-Balah. A strike was also reported on a house in the Maghazi refugee camp, but casualties have not yet been confirmed.
In southern Gaza, eight Palestinians, including three children, were killed when Israeli forces shelled a tent sheltering displaced civilians north of Khan Younis. A 17-year-old boy was also killed in an airstrike on the town of Khuza'a, east of the city.
Israeli naval forces opened fire on fishermen off the coast of Khan Younis, killing one and injuring another. In the Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, a child was killed in a drone strike that hit a displacement tent.
In the central Gaza Strip, a drone targeted a café near Nuseirat refugee camp, killing four people and injuring several others. Separately, five civilians, including four children, were killed when an Israeli drone struck a tent in the Algerian Camp for displaced people.
Two separate Israeli airstrikes hit homes in Khan Younis, each killing seven Palestinians, including women and children, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.
Failed Israeli raid in Khan Younis carried out in women's clothing
Israeli special forces carried out a disguised incursion in Khan Younis, entering the al-Kutaiba area dressed in women's clothing and riding in a civilian vehicle. The unit stormed the house of Ahmed Kamel Sarhan, a commander in the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades, executing him during a clash.
According to eyewitnesses, the force arrested Sarhan's wife and children, including a 10-year-old boy. During their withdrawal, the forces killed another child and left behind what appeared to be camouflaged baggage, likely to blend in among displaced civilians.
To cover the withdrawal, Israeli helicopters and tanks launched a massive bombardment campaign, reportedly carrying out over 40 airstrikes in just 40 minutes, targeting residential areas and displacement tents. The pharmaceutical laboratory at the Nasser Medical Complex was also hit.
The Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades confirmed that Sarhan, known as Abu Muhammad, was killed in a confrontation and declared the Israeli raid a failure, stating that the goal had been to capture the commander alive.
Israeli military sources offered further insight into the operation. The Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported that 'the goal of the special operation in Khan Younis was to arrest the Palestinian leader to interrogate him and extract information from him about Israeli prisoners, but it failed.'
'There is no need to assassinate a person by endangering a special force, as he can be attacked from the air,' said an Israeli army radio correspondent, adding that the operation in Khan Younis failed and failed to accomplish its true objective.
Israeli military radio confirmed the operation but denied it was related to hostage recovery, stating that no Israeli forces were injured.
The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that as of Sunday, the death toll from the ongoing Israeli offensive since October 7, 2023, has risen to 53,339 Palestinians killed and 121,344 injured.
The latest escalation, marked by the launch of Operation Gideon's Chariots, signals a dangerous intensification of the conflict and a continued humanitarian catastrophe for civilians trapped under siege in Gaza.
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