Khan Yunis Assault Claims 300 Lives as Israeli Military Concludes Operation

The Gaza Strip's Khan Yunis has seen significant casualties following an Israeli military operation that began on July 22. According to Gaza's civil defense agency, approximately 300 people have been killed in the assault, which has now concluded.

Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza's civil defense agency, reported that recovery teams have found around 300 bodies, many of which are severely decomposed. "Since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion of the eastern part of Khan Yunis province, the civil defense and medical teams have recovered approximately 300 bodies of martyrs," Bassal told AFP.

The Israeli military launched the operation to combat rocket fire emanating from Khan Yunis, which had been a hotspot for violence earlier this year. The military's stated objective was to neutralize threats and dismantle infrastructure used by Hamas.

On the other side, the Israeli military has reported that the operation successfully targeted “over 150 terrorists,” dismantled various terror tunnels, and located significant weapons caches. They also stated that they had retrieved the bodies of five Israelis, who had been captured during the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.

The recent escalation in Khan Yunis marks a significant chapter in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The operation's end raises concerns about the humanitarian impact and the potential for further violence in the region.