IDF drop leaflets in Khan Younis asking residents to evacuate

Israeli forces have reportedly started dropping leaflets warning Palestinians living in parts of southern Palestine to leave, signaling a possible expansion of Israeli operations in the region.The leaflets, written in Arabic, that were found in the town of Khan Younis advised residents to evacuate the area, saying anyone who refuses to leave “is putting his life in danger.”"For your safety, you need to evacuate your places of residence immediately and head to known shelters," the leaflets said, naming the neighbourhoods of Khuzaa, Abassan, Bani Suhaila and Al Qarara.

"Anyone near terrorists or their facilities puts their life at risk, and every house used by terrorists will be targeted," the leaflets said.Before Israel launched its operation in northern Gaza, similar leaflets were dropped in the area asking citizens to move south.Khan Younis is located in the southern half of the Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of people displaced from the north have already sought refuge there in schools and tents, causing severe overcrowding amid shortages of food and water.

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Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets hit the house of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau of the terrorist organisation Hamas, The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Thursday.The IDF claimed that the house was being “used as a terrorist infrastructure and, among other things, as a meeting place for the organisation’s senior officials”.“Overnight, IDF fighter jets struck the residence of Ismail Haniyeh, the Head of Hamas’ Political Bureau. The residence was used as terrorist infrastructure and a meeting point for Hamas’ senior leaders to direct terrorist attacks against Israel,” IDF said.Also, Israeli soldiers claimed to have discovered and destroyed a weapons cache belonging to Hamas’s naval forces, which allegedly contained diving gear, explosive devices, and weapons.During the operation, the IDF said that they targeted and struck individuals identified as terrorists while locating various weapons, including explosive belts, explosive barrels, RPGs, anti-tank missiles, communication equipment, and intelligence documents.With inputs from agencies