Children among 13 Gazans killed in Israeli strikes in Khan Younis

At least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Wednesday, a medical source said.

“Two children and five women were among the victims in strikes targeting refugee tents in al-Zana area in Bani Suheila east of Khan Younis,” a Palestinian medic told Anadolu.

Six other people were killed in Israeli attacks targeting houses and farmlands in eastern Khan Younis, he added.

Separately, the Civil Defense Agency said “massacres” were being committed by the Israeli army in al-Qarara west of Khan Younis.

“Massacres are taking place against displaced civilians in al-Qarara area in Khan Younis,” spokesman Mahmoud Basal said, without elaborating.

A civil defense source said that its teams were unable to reach the area due to intensive Israeli shelling.

According to an Anadolu reporter, Israeli military vehicles pushed deep west of al-Qarara near refugee tents, triggering panic among displaced civilians.

“A number of displaced civilians were injured after Israeli forces opened fire at their tents,” a medical source said.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,200 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and nearly 93,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

The ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.