Hamas called on Wednesday Israeli attacks on civilians and residential buildings in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip “ethnic cleansing.”
For the third consecutive day, the Israeli army continued its military operations in Khan Younis amid artillery shelling, gunfire, and the demolition of residential buildings.
The army launched a surprise attack in the city after issuing immediate evacuation orders for residents in its eastern neighborhoods, which were previously designated by Tel Aviv as a “safe zone” for displaced civilians.
At least 89 Palestinians have since been killed and over 300 others injured in the ongoing Israeli offensive in the city, according to local authorities.
“Israel's continued systematic destruction of residential neighborhoods in Khan Younis, deliberate and direct shooting at civilians, and indiscriminate shelling of residential areas is a continuation of genocide and ethnic cleansing” in Gaza, Hamas said in a statement.
“The occupation is destroying what remains of the landmarks of life in full view of a world incapable of taking deterrent steps,” it added.
The Palestinian resistance group called on the international community and the United Nations “to move beyond condemnation by taking practical measures to stop this aggression and hold the Zionist war criminals accountable.”
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
More than 39,100 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 90,200 injured, according to local health authorities.
Over nine months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
