Israel has killed at least 50 Palestinians and wounded dozens more in a new wave of Israeli air and artillery attacks on eastern Khan Younis. This latest assault has compounded the crisis in the area, as the Israeli military forced more than 400,000 Palestinians to flee their homes or temporary shelters.
According to the latest figures, Israel has killed at least 39,006 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and wounded 89,818 other in Gaza since 7 October.
In response to the ongoing military operations by Israeli occupation forces, Palestinian resistance groups, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have intensified their counterattacks. From southern Lebanon, they shelled an Israeli military command centre in northern Israel. They also targeted a command centre in the Netzarim Corridor with a “Rajoum” rocket. Additionally, resistance forces bombarded Israeli soldiers stationed northeast of the Bureij refugee camp and struck a military bulldozer and a Merkava tank in Rafah using Yasin-105 rockets. In the Tal al-Sultan area, they engaged in clashes with Israeli occupation forces.
Israeli violence against Palestinian civilians has prompted strong reactions from Hamas, which has vowed that the recent attacks will not diminish Palestinian resolve. The group has called for urgent international intervention to stop the ongoing Israeli genocide, accusing the United States and Israel’s Western allies of indifference to the suffering of Palestinians.
On the ground, residents of Khan Younis remain deeply sceptical of international political dynamics. The recent withdrawal of US President Joe Biden from the presidential race and his endorsement of Kamala Harris has not changed their outlook. Many Palestinians view American political figures, regardless of party affiliation, as consistently prioritising Israeli interests over their plight.
Abdel Nasser Mahmoud, a local resident, expressed frustration with US policies, stating, “All political parties in America want Israel’s interest—nothing more, nothing less.” He criticised the American administration for its support of Israel and its use of veto power in the UN Security Council, which he believes undermines Palestinian rights.
Similarly, Kawthar Adnan Hussein dismissed the impact of US political shifts, arguing that both Biden and Trump have contributed to the suffering of Palestinians. “Biden doesn’t mean anything to us because Biden or Trump, they have aided the war against Palestine,” Hussein said. “If he [Biden] came or if he left, it is not important for Palestine.”