Satellite imagery shows dozens of Israeli armored vehicles in southern Gaza strip

In this satellite image Israeli armored vehicles and tanks can be seen just north of Khan Younis, Gaza, on December 3. Planet Labs PBC/AP

Dozens of Israeli armored vehicles are operating in southern Gaza, satellite images from Sunday provided by PlanetLabs to CNN show.

The images, obtained by CNN Tuesday, show the vehicles to the west of Salah El-Din Street, Gaza’s main north-south route, roughly six kilometers (3.7 miles) north of central Khan Younis.

Tracks on the ground visible in the images show the Israeli armored vehicles had driven to the location in a near-direct line from the Israel-Gaza border in the east.

On Monday, CNN geolocated an Al Jazeera video showing an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) tank in southern Gaza, the first apparent confirmation of an IDF operation south of Wadi Gaza in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The video shared on Sunday showed an Israeli tank 1.5 kilometers south of the location of vehicles in the PlanetLabs imagery.

The New York Times and Washington Post came to the same conclusion in their analysis of the satellite imagery.