The Israeli military has said it had completed its ground operations in some parts of the Gaza Strip, leaving a trail of devastation, while it continued to scale up attacks in other areas.

The military’s Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, announced on Friday that Palestinians evacuated from parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza and Deir el-Balah in the centre would be allowed to return.

It claimed to have killed 250 fighters, without providing evidence.

The announcement came as the war nears the 11-month mark. Israel’s offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians since October 7, injured more than 90,000, and displaced the vast majority of the population.

The army said Palestinians can now return to the neighbourhoods of Hamad, al-Jalaa and al-Qarara in Khan Younis.

The neighbourhoods had been evacuated when Israel started an armed operation in Khan Younis and was temporarily removed from what the military calls the humanitarian zone.

Adraee said those areas can be again considered to be part of the humanitarian zone.

Israel has a long history of bombing so-called “safe zones”, and shrinking them with evacuation orders during its war on Gaza. United Nations agencies and international humanitarian and rights groups have said that there is no safe place in Gaza, despite Israel’s claims.