Fighting
\nintensified Wednesday in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, the focus of Israel’s war against
\nHamas, with the UN saying nine people were killed in tank shelling at one of
\nits shelters, sparking international condemnation.<\/p>\n
The United Nations slammed a “blatant disregard” for the rules of war while
\nthe United States deplored the attack at the shelter housing displaced
\nPalestinians in southern Gaza’s biggest city.<\/p>\n
It came after the Israeli army said it had encircled Khan Yunis, the
\nbirthplace of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, accused of being the
\nmastermind of the October 7 attacks that sparked the war.<\/p>\n
Footage released by the military showed Israeli soldiers engaged in urban
\ncombat in the city amid ruined buildings. Large clouds of black smoke
\nbillowed over Khan Yunis during Israeli bombardments, AFP photos showed.<\/p>\n
The attack on the UN shelter, housing 800 people, saw the site hit by two
\ntank rounds, killing nine and injuring 75, said Thomas White, the Gaza head
\nof the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.<\/p>\n
Philippe Lazzarini — the head of the agency, UNRWA — condemned the attack
\nand said the number of dead was likely to rise.<\/p>\n