Israel Strikes on Gaza’s Second-Largest City Signals New Bloody Phase of War

Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Gaza's second-largest city early Tuesday, as ambulances and private cars came racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war in Gaza.

Under U.S. pressure to prevent further mass casualties, Israel said it is being more precise as it widens its offensive into southern Gaza after obliterating much of the north.

Aerial bombardment and the ground offensive have already driven three-fourths of the territory's 2.3 million people from their homes.

Satellite photos from Sunday showed around 150 Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles just under 3.7 miles north of the heart of Khan Younis. The army did not respond to a request for comment and rarely publicizes troop deployments.

Israel ordered the full-scale evacuation of northern Gaza in the early days of the war and has barred people who left from returning. In the south, it has ordered people out of nearly two dozen neighborhoods in and around Khan Younis. That further reduced the area where civilians can seek refuge in central and southern Gaza by more than a quarter.

Palestinians said as Israel continues to strike across the besieged territory, there are no areas where they feel safe, and many fear that if they leave their homes they will never be allowed to return.

Israel said it must dismantle Hamas' extensive military infrastructure and remove it from power in order to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attack that ignited the war.

The surprise assault through the border fence saw Hamas and other Palestinian militants kill about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and capture some 240 men, women and children.