US again says Israel is transitioning to ‘low intensity’ operations in Gaza
At least 210 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours alone as Israel relentlessly pounds Khan Younis, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
But the White House says Israel is moving to a “low intensity” phase of the war. “They are pursuing, on the ground, more targeted operations particularly against the [Hamas] leadership. They are relying less on airstrikes,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.
Kirby declined to comment on the Israeli shelling of a UNRWA facility housing displaced people in Khan Younis, saying that he does not have “any background” on the incident.
Smoke rises following Israeli bombardments in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024
UN agency says there are "mass casualties" after shelter struck amid intense fighting in Khan Younis
A building sheltering thousands of displaced people in southern Gaza was hit Wednesday amid intensified Israeli military attacks on Khan Younis, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza, killing at least nine and injuring 75 others.
“Buildings ablaze and mass casualties. Safe access to and from the center has been denied for two days. People are trapped,” Thomas White, director of affairs for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter. White also said that a team from his agency and the World Health Organization were trying to reach the site, but that an agreed-upon route with the Israeli military is "blocked with (an) earth bank."
Wajih Ajour, who is sheltering in the UNRWA facility, told CNN he could see tanks near the building. “We are completely surrounded. There are Israeli military tanks just outside the walls of the building. Some people have shrapnel wounds from the fighting in the area, and the building also sustained damage,” Ajour said.
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday that it continues to operate in Khan Younis, where it is pursuing "military targets, outposts, infrastructure and command and control centers" and said the operation there will continue for "several days." CNN has sought comment from the IDF on the fire at the UNRWA shelter.
Hospitals surrounded: Palestinian health officials and medics have reported Israeli tanks and drones firing at people trying to flee the vicinity of the Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said Israeli forces are “surrounding” the organization's headquarters and the Al-Amal Hospital, while the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israeli forces are also around the Nasser medical complex, cutting off crucial medical, food, and fuel supplies.
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