Israel told people to move to Muwasi, a coastal area designated by the Israeli army as a safe zone and which has become filled with crowded and unsanitary tent camps.

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The order suggested a new assault into Khan Younis was imminent. Israeli forces fought for weeks in Khan Younis earlier this year and withdrew, claiming to have destroyed Hamas battalions. But in other places where the military has made similar claims, renewed raids have underscored Hamas’ capabilities.

Netanyahu said on Monday the military was “making progress toward ending the phase of the destruction of Hamas’ terror army”. But he said forces would continue to “target their remains going forward”.

Most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million have fled their homes, with many displaced multiple times. Israeli restrictions, fighting and the breakdown of public order have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid, fuelling widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine.

The decision to release Abu Selmia and 54 other Palestinian detainees back into Gaza appeared to be meant to free up space in overcrowded detention centres. Since the start of the war, Israeli forces have detained thousands of Palestinians from Gaza and the occupied West Bank. Many are being held without charge or trial in what is known as administrative detention.

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“Our detainees have been subjected to all kinds of torture behind bars,” Abu Selmia told a news conference. “There was almost daily torture.”

He said guards had used batons to beat detainees and terrorised them with dogs. He said some detainees had limbs amputated because of poor medical care. He said a beating caused his head to bleed and guards had broken his finger.

The allegations could not be independently confirmed but matched other accounts of Palestinians who have been held in Israeli custody. There was no immediate response from the prison service, which has denied similar accusations.

Israel launched its offensive after Hamas’ October 7 attack, in which Palestinian militants killed 1200 people across southern Israel and took another 250 hostage. In its campaign, Israel has killed at least 37,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or fighters.

AP

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