Hundreds of Palestinians protested against Hamas in Khan Younis on Monday, just hours after the IDF issued an extraordinary evacuation warning, declaring the area an active combat zone ahead of what it called an “unprecedented attack” aimed at dismantling terrorist infrastructure.
Demonstrators chanted “Hamas out” and called for an end to the war with Israel. According to local reports, protests broke out across multiple areas of Khan Younis, with many demanding that Hamas relinquish control of Gaza.
Anti-Hamas protests in Khan Younis, Gaza
The IDF’s warning instructed residents to evacuate immediately to the humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi. “From this moment on, the Khan Younis governorate will be considered an active combat zone. The terror organizations have brought disaster upon you. For your own safety—evacuate now,” the statement read.
The last IDF ground maneuver in Khan Younis took place in August. Monday’s warning followed the IDF's announcement of the start of a new ground operation in the Gaza Strip under Operation Gideon’s Chariots, even as hostage deal negotiations with Hamas continue in Doha.
Five IDF divisions are currently operating across the enclave, following a week of intensive airstrikes targeting terrorist infrastructure. The military confirmed Monday that it remains “in the midst of Operation Gideon’s Chariots and is active throughout the Gaza Strip.”
According to Ynet military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai, the IDF has entered the second phase of the operation, involving heavy firepower and urging civilians to relocate to designated safe zones near Rafah. The army has deployed screening checkpoints—nicknamed “filters”—to prevent terrorists, particularly armed operatives, from reaching those areas.
Also on Monday, for the first time in months, five UN aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, including baby formula, entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing after undergoing rigorous security inspections.
A military statement emphasized that all aid deliveries followed the recommendations of IDF professionals and were approved by the political leadership. The IDF added—in a separate English-language release intended for international media—that it “will allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip while making every effort to ensure it does not fall into the hands of the Hamas terror organization.”
Western backlash
Western diplomats sharply criticized a new humanitarian aid distribution plan for Gaza, agreed upon by Israel and the United States, calling it “madness” and warning it is unlikely to meet the needs of the enclave’s 2 million residents.
The plan would see food aid distributed in sealed boxes at four central locations across Gaza, replacing roughly 400 previous distribution points. A senior Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the plan as “complete lunacy,” questioning how such a limited number of centers—some of which are reportedly still under construction—could serve the entire population. “Each center would have to serve 460,000 people—that's the population of Tel Aviv. There is no way this can work,” the diplomat said.
He added that the logistical burden of transporting 20 to 30 kilograms of food per family on foot, particularly at night, posed serious risks. “It’s like telling everyone in Tel Aviv to queue for food at Kikar Hamedina. This is a mistake I desperately hope won’t be made—it would be disastrous,” he said.
The criticism comes as 25 Western countries and major humanitarian organizations issued a joint statement Monday urging Israel to immediately allow the resumption of large-scale humanitarian aid to Gaza. The statement, released by the UK Foreign Office and signed by foreign ministers of Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Spain, Sweden, Italy and others, warned that more than two months of aid restrictions have caused acute shortages of food, medicine and essential supplies, raising fears of mass starvation.
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The signatories also rejected the proposed Israeli aid model, stating that it compromises the ability to deliver assistance at scale and endangers aid workers by linking humanitarian access to military or political objectives. They emphasized that aid distribution must remain neutral, depoliticized and independently operated. “Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool, nor should it result in demographic or geographic changes within the Palestinian territory,” the statement read.
In addition to calling on Israel to open access routes, the statement urged Hamas to immediately release all remaining hostages and to refrain from obstructing the delivery of humanitarian relief.
The statement concluded by asserting that an immediate return to a ceasefire and progress toward a two-state solution are essential for achieving lasting peace and security for both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as long-term regional stability.