On Friday, Israeli tanks spearheaded a push into southern Gaza's main city, Khan Younis, which is providing shelter to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who have been displaced by Israeli airstrikes.
Israeli tanks cross a barbed wire fence at a position along the border with the Gaza Strip and southern Israel on November 12, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Observers note that the attacks are striking near Nasser Hospital, a location Israeli officials accuse Hamas of operating close to. People are reportedly not only housing displaced Gazans but patients from the hospital as well.
Shelling from tanks advancing from the west as gun battles rage in the south. The Gaza health ministry reported 142 Palestinians were killed and another 278 people were injured in the last 24 hours.
Reuters reports that up to 85% of the 2.3 million people living in the south have been driven to seek shelter, according to the United Nations.
Rescue services, medical attention, and the ability to monitor approaching threats via the news have all been compromised. In the north, 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on a residential building near the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which IDF officials have accused Hamas of operating near.
The militant group Islamic Jihad reportedly clashed with Israeli forces in the Al-Bureji and Al-Maghazi refugee camps in central Gaza and Khan Younis, while Hamas fighters fought against Israeli fighters throughout Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that the IDF had eliminated 16 or 17 out of 24 organized regiments.
However, he conceded, that fighting would likely take many more months.
What Does The Saudi Government Think?
HNGN has reported that the Saudi government, as well as Israeli President Isaac Herzog believe a two-state agreement is the key to peace, but Prime Minister Netanyahu repeated his opposition to the idea of an independent state at Israel's southern border.
"Israel must have security control over the entire territory west of the Jordan River. That's a necessary condition," Netanyahu told a briefing in Tel Aviv. "It clashes with the principle of sovereignty, but what can you do?".
However, the United States' official stance is that a two-state solution is the only way to end the cycle of violence.
