Israel Shells Residential Buildings In Khan Younis Controlled Areas

Israeli artillery shelled residential buildings on Sunday in areas of southern Khan Younis that fall under Israeli military control, according to reports from Al Jazeera, raising fresh concerns about the safety of civilians in zones the Israeli army had previously designated as relatively secure. The bombardment struck homes in the southern districts of Khan Younis, a city that has endured repeated waves of destruction since the war on Gaza began, with witnesses describing plumes of smoke rising over neighbourhoods where displaced families had sought shelter. The shelling comes despite the ongoing ceasefire framework brokered with significant Qatari and Egyptian mediation, an arrangement that was meant to halt the heaviest fighting and allow humanitarian aid to flow more freely into the besieged enclave. Khan Younis has been one of the hardest-hit cities in the Gaza Strip, with vast stretches of its residential infrastructure reduced to rubble during earlier ground operations, and the latest artillery fire targets buildings in zones the Israeli military itself controls following its repeated incursions. Palestinian civil defence teams have repeatedly warned that strikes inside so-called controlled areas leave civilians with nowhere safe to flee, particularly as the winter season deepens the humanitarian crisis for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced Palestinians living in tents and makeshift shelters. Qatar, which has played a central diplomatic role throughout the conflict alongside Egypt and the United States, has consistently called for full respect of the ceasefire terms and unimpeded humanitarian access, with Doha warning that violations risk unravelling the fragile arrangement and reigniting full-scale hostilities. Officials in the Qatari capital have emphasised that any artillery or aerial action inside Gaza must be measured against the obligations both parties accepted under the truce, and that the international community bears a responsibility to ensure compliance. The shelling also comes against the backdrop of repeated incidents in recent weeks in which Israeli forces have opened fire on Palestinians attempting to return to their homes or move between zones, drawing condemnation from human rights organisations and Arab governments. Gulf states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have urged restraint and pressed for accelerated reconstruction planning for Gaza, with Doha positioning itself as a key humanitarian and diplomatic actor in the post-war phase. The full toll from the latest shelling on Khan Younis was not immediately clear, and rescue teams were working to reach affected buildings amid continuing security concerns in the area.