Israel calls on Palestinians to evacuate parts of Khan Younis in Gaza Strip

“For your safety, you must be immediately evacuated to the humanitarian zone,” Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-speaking spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, posted on social media.

The evacuation order came after at least 20 rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area at Israeli communities bordering the Gaza Strip on Monday, the Israeli military said. No injuries were reported and the Israeli military said it had repelled the sources of the rocket fire.

Nearly nine months after the conflict began, small militant groups continue to fire rockets at Israel and attack troops, even though the Israeli military says it has destroyed most of Hamas’ battalions.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israeli forces had “advanced to the end “We are at the stage of destroying the Hamas terror army,” adding that we “will continue to attack its remnants.”

Thousands gathered in Tel Aviv on Monday evening, demanding a hostage deal and an end to the war. “War is not a law of nature, but a choice. It is possible to make a different choice and start with peace,” said one of the keynote speakers, Yuval Noah Harari, historian and best-selling author.

Liora Argamani, whose daughter Noa Argamani was rescued from Hamas captivity by Israeli forces last monthhas died, according to a statement from Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv. She was terminally ill with cancer and spent her last days with her daughter.

Since the war began, at least 37,900 people have been killed and 87,060 injured in Gaza. said the Gaza Health Ministry. It makes no distinction between civilians and fighters, but says that the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel estimates that around 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, including more than 300 soldiers. Since the start of military operations in Gaza, 318 soldiers have been killed, it says.

Lior Soroka contributed to this report.