Israel Intensifies Offensive in Southern Gaza, Over 700 Palestinians Killed

As Israel declares some hostages dead, it continues its mission to eliminate Hamas, leading to widespread evacuations and a rising death toll.

Israel's military has ordered more areas in and around Gaza's second-largest city of Khan Younis to evacuate, shifting its offensive to the southern half of the territory where it asserts that leaders of the Hamas militant group are hiding.
Over 700 Palestinians have been killed in the past 24 hours due to Israeli air raids, according to the Director General of the Government Media Office in Gaza.
Israel has declared some of the missing hostages as dead in captivity, a measure designed to grant anxious relatives a measure of closure.
Israel has said it is working to eliminate the armed Palestinian group Hamas, which launched deadly attacks on southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking more than 240 captives.
The Israeli military has widened evacuation orders in and around Khan Younis, urging residents from at least five additional areas to relocate for safety purposes.