Gaza Strip - August 25, 2024

The Israeli army withdrew from the northern Khan Younis area in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, leaving behind the bodies of dead Palestinians and widespread destruction to residential buildings and homes of displaced civilians.

The Israeli forces have repositioned themselves in the eastern parts of the city after a military operation in northern Khan Younis which lasted more than two weeks.

The devastation was concentrated in the Hamad residential neighborhood, where Israeli warplanes destroyed hundreds of residential apartments, razed buildings to the ground and caused severe damage to public infrastructure.

Ola Wadi, one of the thousands of displaced people who were forced to flee their residential neighborhood to escape the Israeli bombardment, returned to her neighborhood, hoping to save even a few of her belongings. However, what she saw had shattered the hopes.

The Palestinian Civil Defense announced it had recovered the bodies of 71 Palestinians killed in Israeli shelling that targeted the central and southern Gaza Strip over the past two days. The bodies of the victims were transferred to Nasser Hospital.

On Aug 9, the Israeli army launched a military operation north of Khan Yunis. The 98th Division of the Israeli army claimed it targeted what Israel calls terrorists, but the devastation on the ground tells a very different story.

Israel has been waging a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were taken hostage.

The prolonged conflict has claimed the lives of more than 40,000 Palestinians in the enclave.

Shotlist:
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip - Aug 25, 2024:
1. Various of destroyed buildings, debris;
2. Various of residents searching through rubble;
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed with English) Ola Wadi, displaced resident:
"As soon as we knew the Israeli army had withdrawn from the neighborhood, we rushed back in the hope of finding our homes and belongings. We found nothing but destruction, debris, and whatever was left was all torn and burned.";
4. Ambulances running through rubble;
5. Rescuer;
6. Ambulance of Palestinian Civil Defense;
7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic, dubbed with English) Muhammad Al-Mughair, rescuer, Palestinian Civil Defense:
"Most of the martyrs were killed due to quadcopter drones, which fired at citizens in the Hamad residential complex. There was also artillery shelling that tore more people into pieces.";
8. Various of displaced residents, debris.

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