Israel Launches New Attack On Gaza Ahead Of Netanyahu's Pildot At The American Congress

JAKARTA - Israeli forces launched a new attack on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, July 24, hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to make a speech at the United States Congress (US).

Israel's latest attack destroyed homes in cities in eastern Khan Younis in southern Gaza and thousands were forced to head west to seek refuge

Palestinian Civil Emergency Services said it received an emergency call from residents trapped in their homes in Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, but the team was unable to reach the city.

The Israeli military, which seeks to eradicate Islamist militant group Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, said it was operating in areas where fighters could fire rockets at Israel and attack Israeli forces.

Gaza health officials say Israeli military attacks in the past 24 hours have killed 55, the latest in a war that health authorities say in the enclave has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians.

'Where do we have to go? What if we cross into the sea?' said Ghada, who has fled with his family six times during the war, from Hamas City in the northwest of Khan Younis.

"We are exhausted, starving, and want the war to end now, not an hour later. Every day it means more families are deleted from the registration list," he told Reuters via chat apps.

Local residents said they had been ordered to head west to designated humanitarian areas, but the area was now unsafe.

Israeli forces also launched airstrikes in several areas in the central and northern Gaza Strip, killing and injuring several Palestinians, health officials said.

Rafah residents, near the border with Egypt, said Israeli forces had blown up several houses west of the city.