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Israel-Gaza live updates: Khan Younis bombardment death toll rises to 73

Khan Younis had been designated as a humanitarian zone by Israel.

Last Updated: July 23, 2024, 3:06 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, efforts to secure the release of hostages taken by the terrorist organization are ongoing, and Israeli forces have launched an assault in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
10 hours and 11 minutes ago

Khan Younis bombardment death toll rises to 73

At least 73 people have been killed -- including 24 children and 15 women -- and 270 others were injured amid the Israeli military's raids on eastern Khan Younis, which it had designated as a humanitarian zone, according to Gaza health officials.

The bombardment began early Monday as the Israel Defense Forces ordered people to evacuate.

Displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Yunis towards the west, after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of the city, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 22, 2024.
Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images

About 200,000 Palestinians have evacuated the area since then, according to the IDF, and still many remain behind not knowing where to go.

"A number of victims are still under rubble and on the roads, and ambulances and civil defense crews cannot reach them," the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said Tuesday.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Jordana Miller

10 hours and 53 minutes ago

Netanyahu to meet with Biden Thursday, Trump on Friday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Thursday and former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago Friday, Israeli officials told ABC News. The White House confirmed the meeting and said Biden and Netanyahu will also be meeting with the families of hostages

On Wednesday, Netanyahu will attend a memorial for Sen. Joe Lieberman at 10 a.m. He will then meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other members of Congress before he gives his address to a joint session of Congress at 2 p.m., according to Israeli officials.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

1:27 PM EDT

16 of 36 hospitals in Gaza partially functional as displacement continues

As displacement from the Israeli attack on Khan Younis continues, 16 out of 36 hospitals are partially functional, according to the United Nations Office of Geneva.

Given the strike in Khan Younis yesterday, Nasser Medical Complex faces a new mass casualty influx, amid a dire lack of blood units, medical supplies and hospital beds. On Thursday, the World Health Organization provided medical supplies enough for 10,000 people to the hospital, which are being used to manage this mass casualty incident, according to the U.N.

Displaced Palestinians leave an area in east Khan Yunis towards the west, after the Israeli army issued a new evacuation order for parts of the city, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 22, 2024.
Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Images

In Khan Younis, "thousands of people" were seen fleeing westward as part of the exodus from the enclave’s southern city amid ongoing hostilities, leaving children traumatized and crying uncontrollably, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Israel's evacuation orders have also impacted about 3.4 square miles of land in the "humanitarian zone" of Al Mawasi, which lies on the coast near Khan Younis, reducing the size of the zone by nearly 15%, according to the U.N. aid coordination office, OCHA.

-ABC News' Guy Davies and Camilla Alcini

9:31 AM EDT

Hamas, Fatah sign unity declaration in Beijing

Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a unity declaration in Beijing working to end a yearslong rift, Chinese state media said Tuesday.

This is the 16th signed agreement between the rivals over the past decade. However, this agreement highlights China’s attempt to deepen its influence in the Middle East.

In a statement, Hamas described the so-called Beijing Declaration as an "additional positive step on the path to achieving Palestinian national unity," adding "its importance comes in terms of the location and the host country."

Hamas leader Hossam Badran described the declaration as "an important step on the path to national unity" and highlighted the host country's role and "international weight."

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz condemned Fatah "embracing" Hamas "instead of rejecting terrorism."

"In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas's rule will be crushed, and Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel's security will remain solely in Israel's hands," Katz said.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta

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