The Israeli military said it had completed ground operations in parts of the Gaza Strip, leaving a trail of devastation, while continuing to step up attacks in other areas.
Arab military spokesman Avichay Adraee announced on Friday that Palestinians evacuated from parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and Deir el-Balah in the center will be allowed to return.
He claimed to have killed 250 fighters, without providing evidence.
The announcement came as the war nears its 11th month. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, wounded more than 90,000 and displaced the vast majority of the population.
The army said Palestinians can now return to the Hamad, al-Jalaa and al-Qarara neighborhoods in Khan Younis.
The neighborhoods had been evacuated when Israel launched an armed operation in Khan Younis and were temporarily removed from what the military calls the humanitarian zone.
Adraee said those areas could once again be considered part of the humanitarian zone.
Israel has a long history of bombing so-called “safe zones” and reducing them through evacuation orders during its war on Gaza. United Nations agencies and international humanitarian and human rights groups have said there is no safe place in Gaza, despite Israel’s claims.
