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The fighting, more than nine months since the start of Israel's
invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack, underlined the
difficulty the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) has in eliminating
fighters of the militant Islamist group amid continued
resistance.
On Friday the military said troops battled Palestinian fighters
in Khan Younis, a city in the south of the enclave, and
destroyed tunnels and other infrastructure, as they sought to
suppress small militant units that have continued to hit troops
with mortar fire.
Palestinian official media said that at least 14 Palestinians
were killed by Israeli attacks in Khan Younis since dawn on
Saturday and that their bodies were brought to Nasser Medical
Complex.
More than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli
strikes in the enclave, according to Gaza health authorities,
who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.
Israeli officials estimate that some 14,000 fighters from
militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been
killed or taken prisoner, out of a force they estimated to
number more than 25,000 at the start of the war.
The military said on Saturday its calls to evacuate were
communicated to the population via several mediums in order to
mitigate danger to civilians.
U.N. and humanitarian officials accuse Israel of using
disproportionate force in the war, which it denies.
Israel's military blames Hamas for putting civilians in harms
way, accusing it of operating within densely populated
neighbourhoods, schools and hospitals as cover, something the
group denies.
Around 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage in
the Oct. 7 Hamas-led raid on southern Israel, according to
Israeli tallies.
(Reporting by Emily RoseEditing by Frances Kerry)
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