Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 37 killed in 24 hours
- 15 hours ago
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Friday that 37 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 45,436.
The ministry also said in a statement that at least 108,038 people had been wounded in more than 14 months of war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by the Palestinian group’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported launching an operation targeting Hamas near one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals, while Hamas accused it of storming the facility and evacuating those inside.
The operation, centred near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, followed an announcement from the hospital on Thursday that five of its staff members were killed in an Israeli strike.
The military claimed in a statement that the hospital had become “a key stronghold for terror organisations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives” since Israeli forces began broader operations in northern Gaza in October.
“The troops are conducting targeted operations in the area, while mitigating harm to uninvolved civilians, patients, and medical personnel,” military added.
Since Oct.6, Israel has intensified its land and air offensive in northern Gaza, stating its goal is to prevent Hamas from regrouping in the region.
Before initiating the latest operation near the hospital, the military said its troops had “facilitated the secure evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel.”
But Hamas said Israeli forces had stormed the facility on Friday.
“The occupation army stormed Kamal Adwan hospital forcing medical staff, patients, the wounded, and displaced people to evacuate,” it said in a statement.
Hamas further accused Israeli forces of isolating and detaining those evacuated, saying: “Hamas holds the occupation fully responsible for the lives of patients, wounded, and medical staff after they were cut off from communication, arrested and taken to an unknown location.”
The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, quoting hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh, said that the military had “set on fire all surgery departments of the hospital.”
Safiyeh said the military had also “evacuated the entire medical staff and displaced people.”
“There are a large number of injuries among the medical team.”
As of Friday morning, the hospital housed around 350 people, including 75 injured and sick patients, along with 180 medical staff, Safiyeh said.
Witnesses in the area told reporters that the hospital had been evacuated and hundreds of people living in the vicinity were “forced to seek refuge at Al Fakhura school and the Indonesian hospital” in Jabalia.
AFP was unable to contact Safiyeh and other hospital officials or independently verify how many people had been evacuated from the facility.
The Israeli military has regularly accused Hamas of using hospitals as command and control centres for attacks against its forces throughout the war. Hamas has denied these accusations.
On Thursday, Safiyeh said that five staff members had been killed in an Israeli strike.
The military, when contacted by reporters, did not comment on the strike.
In recent days, Safiyeh has repeatedly raised concerns about the hospital’s situation, accusing Israeli forces of targeting the facility.
“The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displace the people inside,” he said in a statement on Monday.
The World Health Organisation has described conditions at Kamal Adwan Hospital as “appalling” and said it was operating at a “minimum” level.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Agencies
