Israeli airstrikes kill at least 46 Palestinians and damage a hospital: Gaza Ministry of Health
Israeli military strikes inflicted 46 fatalities among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. According to health officials, one incident targeted a hospital in the northern part of the enclave, resulting in the destruction of medical supplies and the disruption of operations.
According to the Israeli military, “dozens of terrorists” have been hiding out at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, which the Palestinian militant group Hamas is allegedly utilizing for military objectives. Hamas and health officials both reject the accusation.
Later on Thursday, an airstrike in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least sixteen Palestinians. Medics from the camp’s Al-Awda Hospital informed Reuters about the incident. They went on to say that two local journalists and a paramedic were among the victims.
In January, Israel asserted that it had destroyed Hamas’ command structure in northern Gaza; currently, the military’s assault in the enclave primarily targets that area. It regrouped militants in Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya, so earlier this month it dispatched tanks there to clear them out.
According to Eid Sabbah, the director of nursing at Kamal Adwan in Beit Lahiya, who spoke to Reuters, some staff members suffered minor burns after the Israeli strike hit the third floor of the hospital.
Israeli commandos briefly occupied the hospital last week, but they reported no casualties. Israeli forces reportedly apprehended about a hundred individuals wanted by Hamas during the assault. Israel continues to station tanks in the area.
The Gaza Strip’s health ministry, under the management of Hamas, issued an appeal to all foreign organizations to “protect hospitals and medical staff from the brutality of the (Israeli) occupation.”
Israeli officials have stated that their forces are conducting operations in the neighborhood of the hospital in response to intelligence suggesting the existence of terrorists and supporting infrastructure in the region.
The military released a statement following Thursday’s attack, stating that they found “dozens of terrorists hiding in the hospital, with some even posing as hospital staff.” No more than that.
According to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a medical charity that released the news on Thursday, Israeli forces arrested Mohammed Obeid, one of the hospital’s doctors, last Saturday. They demanded the protection of Mohammed Obeid and all medical personnel from the “horrific violence as they try to provide care.”
Israeli statistics indicate that the Gaza War began on October 7, 2023, when militants under the leadership of Hamas attacked Israel, killing close to 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. They then returned to Gaza.
According to Palestinian sources, Israel’s subsequent attack on Gaza has resulted in the murder of about 43,000 Palestinians and the reduction of most of the enclave to rubble.