[85051] Escalation in the southern Gaza Strip: Artillery fire and smoke grenades in the Khan Yunis area

Security escalation in eastern Khan Yunis

Palestinian sources report this morning, June 16, 2026, on intense military activity by IDF forces in the east of the city of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip. According to شبكة قدس الإخبارية, the forces carried out "heavy fire" and launched smoke grenades near Salah al-Din Street in the area of the Bani Suheila roundabout. Similar reports also came from قناة الميادين, which noted that this is a continuation of the use of fire by IDF armored vehicles.

Following the use of smoke grenades, fires broke out in the Bani Suheila roundabout area, as reported by الجزيرة فلسطين and وكالة شهاب. The 'Shehab' agency defined the events as an "escalation in ceasefire violations," while pointing to the existence of artillery fire and intensive military activity in the area.

Difficulties in bringing in aid and claims of casualties

In parallel to the events on the ground, أخبار فلسطين العاجلة 24 published data stating that despite pressure from mediators, Israel continues to "shirk the implementation of the first phase commitments" and prevented the entry of hundreds of aid trucks on Monday, with only 239 trucks out of the planned total entering the Strip.

Additionally, شبكة فلسطين للحوار quoted Volker Türk regarding the humanitarian situation, claiming that IDF forces have "killed a thousand Palestinians in Gaza since the beginning of the ceasefire." It should be noted that these sources are identified with the Palestinian narrative that harshly criticizes Israel's policy and views its actions as a blatant violation of agreements.