The Israeli army on Monday surprised the residents of Khan Younis with a new ground military operation, more than three months after withdrawing from the southern Gaza city.
The Israeli army in a statement claimed the attack in eastern Khan Younis resulted from intelligence information indicating Hamas was attempting to regroup.
Eyewitnesses and journalists in Gaza told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Israeli army issued on Monday new evacuation orders to residents in Khan Younis.
Thousands of Palestinians were seen fleeing southern areas of the territory before the Israeli army launched a large-scale attack and quickly sent tanks back into the greater Khan Younis area.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington upon an invitation from the US Congress to address a joint session on Tuesday.
Netanyahu has tried to mitigate the impact of his visit amidst a US political crisis following President Joe Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race.
“Israel remains America's indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East,” he told reporters before taking off.
On Thursday, an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha to discuss new demands for a Gaza truce and hostage-prisoner exchange.
But on Monday, several leading rabbis of the right-wing religious Zionist community came out against a hostage deal with Hamas.
