Israel Bombs Southern Gaza’s Largest Hospital As Palestinian Death Toll Climbs

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel’s army struck the biggest hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday night time, killing one particular person, wounding others and inflicting a big fireplace, the territory’s Well being Ministry mentioned.

The strike hit the surgical constructing of Nasser Hospital within the metropolis of Khan Younis, the ministry mentioned, days after the ability was overwhelmed with dead and wounded when Israel resumed the warfare in Gaza final week with a shock wave of airstrikes.

Israel’s army confirmed the strike on the hospital, saying it hit a Hamas militant working there. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas as a result of it operates in densely populated areas.

Like different medical services round Gaza, Nasser Hospital has been broken by Israeli raids and strikes all through the warfare.

Greater than 50,000 Palestinians have now been killed within the warfare, the Well being Ministry mentioned earlier Sunday.

The army claimed to have “eradicated” dozens of militants since Israel ended a ceasefire Tuesday with strikes that killed lots of of individuals on one of many deadliest days in the 17-month war.

Israel’s unrest over Gaza and political points grew Sunday, with anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his authorities voted to precise no confidence within the legal professional common, seen by many as a check on the power of his coalition.

“I’m nervous for the way forward for this nation. And I feel it has to cease. Now we have to vary path,” mentioned Avital Halperin, one in every of lots of of protesters exterior Netanyahu’s workplace. Police mentioned three had been arrested.

Israel’s army ordered hundreds of Palestinians to depart the closely destroyed Tel al-Sultan neighborhood within the southern metropolis of Rafah. They walked to Muwasi, a sprawling space of squalid tent camps. The warfare has pressured most of Gaza’s inhabitants of over 2 million to flee throughout the territory, often multiple times.

“It’s displacement underneath fireplace,” mentioned Mustafa Gaber, a journalist who left together with his household. He mentioned tank and drone fireplace echoed close by.

“The shells are falling amongst us and the bullets are (flying) above us,” mentioned Amal Nassar, additionally displaced. “The aged have been thrown into the streets. An previous lady was telling her son, ‘Go and go away me to die.’ The place will we go?”

“Sufficient is sufficient. We’re exhausted,” mentioned a fleeing Ayda Abu Shaer, as smoke rose within the distance.

The Palestinian Crimson Crescent emergency service mentioned it misplaced contact with a 10-member staff responding to the strikes in Rafah. Spokesperson Nebal Farsakh mentioned some had been wounded.

Israel’s army mentioned it had fired on advancing “suspicious automobiles” and later found some had been ambulances and fireplace vans.

In Gaza Metropolis, an explosion hit subsequent to a tent camp the place folks had been advised to evacuate. “My husband is blind and began operating barefoot, and my kids had been operating,” mentioned witness Nidaa Hassuna.

Hamas mentioned Salah Bardawil, a widely known member of its political bureau, was killed in a strike in Muwasi that additionally killed his spouse. Israel’s army confirmed it.

Hospitals in southern Gaza mentioned they acquired an extra 24 our bodies from strikes in a single day, together with a number of ladies and youngsters.

Gaza’s Well being Ministry mentioned 50,021 Palestinians have been killed within the warfare, together with 673 folks since Israel’s bombardment on Tuesday shattered the ceasefire.

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, the ministry’s common director, mentioned the useless embody 15,613 kids, with 872 of them underneath 1 12 months previous.

The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its depend however says ladies and youngsters make up over half the useless. Israel says it has killed round 20,000 fighters, with out offering proof.

The ceasefire that took maintain in January paused greater than a 12 months of preventing ignited by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault into Israel, by which militants killed some 1,200 folks, principally civilians, and took 251 hostage. Most captives have been launched in ceasefire agreements or different offers.

Within the newest ceasefire’s first section, 25 Israeli hostages and the bodies of eight others had been launched in alternate for almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces allowed lots of of hundreds of individuals to return dwelling. There was a surge in humanitarian assist till Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza earlier this month to pressure Hamas to change the ceasefire settlement.

The edges had been supposed to start negotiations in early February on the ceasefire’s subsequent section, by which Hamas was to launch the remaining 59 hostages — 35 of them believed to be useless — in alternate for extra Palestinian prisoners, a long-lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. These talks by no means started.

Israel’s cupboard handed a measure Sunday creating 13 new settlements within the occupied West Financial institution by rezoning present ones, in line with Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s far-right finance minister, who’s answerable for settlement development.

This brings the variety of settlements, thought-about unlawful by nearly all of the worldwide neighborhood, to 140, mentioned anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now. They’ll now obtain impartial budgets from Israel and may elect their very own native governments, the group mentioned.

In a separate improvement, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who’re allied with Hamas, launched one other missile at Israel in a single day. The Israeli army mentioned it was intercepted, and there have been no experiences of casualties or injury.

The Houthis resumed assaults on Israel after it ended the Gaza ceasefire, portraying them as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. Trump ordered the renewal of U.S. strikes on the rebels final week over its earlier assaults on worldwide transport within the Crimson Sea.

The rebels have mentioned they’re making an attempt to blockade Israel, however a lot of the ships they’ve focused don’t have any connection to the battle.

Magdy reported from Cairo. Related Press writers Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem contributed.