Battle of Khan Younis threatens Gaza’s biggest hospital as death toll rises to 24,620

 

A Palestinian woman reacts at the grave of her son killed in an Israeli strike, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, on January 18, 2024. (Reuters)

• Israeli forces are advancing into Khan Younis, the southern Gaza Strip's main city.

• The battle in Khan Younis is the heaviest of the year, with residents describing heavy fighting and intense bombardment in multiple areas.

• Tanks have advanced into the west of the city for the first time, carrying out raids before withdrawing.

• The Israeli military claims to have eliminated dozens of terrorists, including 40 in Khan Younis, with figures difficult to verify.

• Medecins Sans Frontieres reports patients and displaced people fleeing in panic from Al-Nasser Hospital due to nearby bombings.

• In Rafah, further south, 16 bodies are laid out, casualties of strikes that include children, wiping out a branch of the Zameli family.

• Israel plans to wind down ground operations but is determined to capture all of Khan Younis, where Hamas is reportedly based.

• The battle for Khan Younis may continue for up to two months, according to an anonymous Israeli official.

• Gaza's population is mostly confined to two small areas, Rafah and Deir al-Balah, with uncertain intentions from Israel regarding these towns.

• Two-thirds of Gaza's hospitals, including all in the northern half, have ceased functioning, and Al-Nasser Hospital is at risk, affecting trauma care.

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