The United Nations reported on Friday that more than 180,000 Palestinians have been displaced by intense fighting around the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis over the past four days. This displacement follows an Israeli operation aimed at recovering the bodies of prisoners from the area.
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, noted that “intensified hostilities” in Khan Yunis have triggered “new waves of internal displacement across Gaza.” According to their report, approximately 182,000 people have been forced to leave central and eastern Khan Yunis from Monday to Thursday, with many now stranded in eastern Khan Yunis.
On Monday, the Israeli military ordered evacuations from parts of the southern city, declaring its intention to “forcefully operate” in the area, which had previously been designated a safe humanitarian zone. By Wednesday, Israel announced the recovery of five bodies of prisoners captured during Hamas’s October 7 raid. On Friday, the Israeli military reported having “eliminated approximately 100 terrorists” in the city over the past week.
Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi stated that the prisoners’ bodies were recovered from underground tunnels and hidden locations. He explained that while troops had been near these bodies before, they were only able to reach them this week.
Heavy fighting continued around eastern Khan Yunis on Friday, with the Nasser Hospital reporting the arrival of 26 bodies. Out of the 251 Israelis taken prisoner during the raid, 111 remain in the Gaza Strip, including 39 who the military says are deceased.
UN figures indicate that most of Gaza’s 2.4 million residents have been displaced at least once due to the ongoing conflict.
