The Israeli military has ordered a mass evacuation of Palestinians from much of Khan Yunis, a sign that troops are likely to launch a new ground assault on the Gaza Strip’s second-largest city.
The order suggested that Khan Yunis would be the target of new Israeli attacks on parts of Gaza that the army had already entered during the previous nine months in pursuit of Hamas militants.
Much of Khan Yunis was destroyed in bombings earlier this year, but large numbers of Palestinians have since returned to avoid another Israeli offensive in Rafah, the enclave’s southernmost city, the AP reported.
The order came after Israel released the director of Gaza’s main hospital, Mohammed Abu Selmia, after holding him for seven months without charge or trial. He was detained due to allegations that the facility was used as a Hamas command center.
The director of the hospital stated that he and other detainees were kept in harsh conditions and tortured.
He and other Palestinian health officials have denied allegations of hospital abuse.
Some Israeli government ministers and opposition leaders have expressed outrage and insist that Abu Salmiya played a role in the alleged use of the hospital by Hamas.
