Gaza, tent city under construction in Khan Yunis in view of the offensive in Rafah. UN calls for independent investigation into mass graves

A tent city is being set up near Khan Yunis, in the Gaza Strip, amid fears of the Israeli army’s announced offensive against the southern city of Rafah. Satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC, analyzed by The Associated Press, show construction of a tent complex beginning as early as April 16 just west of Khan Yunis. […]

A tent city is under construction near Khan Yunisin the Gaza Stripwhile the announced Israeli army offensive against the southern city of Rafah. Satellite photos by Planet Labs PBCanalyzed by Associated Press, show construction of a tent complex beginning as early as April 16 just west of Khan Yunis. The images taken last Sunday demonstrate how the tent city has grown over time.

For the Wall Street Journalwhich cites Egyptian officials, Israel is thus preparing to move civilians in Khan Yunis and other areas where it plans to set up shelter tents, food distribution centers and medical facilities such as field hospitals. According to sources, the operation of evacuation will last two or three weeks in coordination with the United States, Egypt and other Arab countries such as the Emirates. Rafah is home to half of the 2.3 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip: many fled here during the war. The US has repeatedly said that any Israeli military operation must protect civilians.

Meanwhile the United Nations have asked that a “credible and independent investigation” on mass graves discovered in Khan Yunis where they were found, at the moment, 310 corpses. This is “extremely worrying” news and requires “once again” that “all these sites be thoroughly investigated”, declared the spokesman for the UN General Secretariat Stephane Dujarric. “It is one more reason to underline the need for a cease-fire, for the end of the conflict, because we need greater access for humanitarian personnel, greater protection for hospitals. It is necessary that the hostages are freed,” Dujarric added.

Against the Israel Defense Forces denied any involvement in the discovery of bodies inside mass graves dug in the Khan Yunis hospital complex. “The claim that the IDF buried Palestinians is completely baseless,” Israeli forces said. The IDF clarified that during the operation in the area of ​​the Nasser hospital, corpses buried by Palestinians were examined “as part of an effort to locate the hostages”. The Israeli army specified that it had operated in a “targeted manner” within the hospital complex, only where it had information on the possible presence of the hostages’ bodies. “The examinations were carried out in an orderly manner, respecting the dignity of the deceased and in a respectful manner,” the Israeli forces added, highlighting that the bodies were “returned to their place in an orderly and correct manner.”

And as the war continues, so does the death toll: 32 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours, leading to 34,183 the number of Palestinians killed in the Strip since the beginning of the conflict. This is the latest data provided by the Ministry of Health of the Gaza Strip, which also reports 59 wounded in the last 24 hours and an overall toll of 77,143 wounded since the start of the war. The Ministry of Health also says that women and children make up about two-thirds of victims.