The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, announced on Tuesday that Israel had launched a rocket attack on the city’s hospital filled with wounded and Palestinians who have taken refuge there. The authorities announced over 500 dead. If confirmed, this would be the deadliest attack carried out by Israel in the five wars it has waged in Gaza since 2008.
On social media, pictures of al-Ahli hospital in flames, broken windows and parts of the victims’ bodies scattered everywhere.
Several hospitals in Gaza City have turned into shelters for hundreds of people who hoped the hospitals would not be bombed after Israel ordered all residents of the city and surrounding areas to evacuate to the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said that there are still no details on the number of dead in the hospital: “We will provide the details and notify the public. I can’t say if it was an Israeli airstrike.”
In southern parts, continued attacks left dozens of civilians dead and at least one senior Hamas official. US officials continued to try to persuade Israel to allow aid to be sent.
Israel has cut off water, fuel and food supplies to Gaza since Hamas launched the brutal attack last week. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reached an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the creation of a mechanism for the penetration of humanitarian aid to the 2.3 million residents of Gaza.
But even on Tuesday, this agreement had not yet entered into force. A senior Israeli official said his country was seeking assurances that aid would not fall into the hands of Hamas militants. The head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzahi Hanegbi, suggested that the flow of aid depends on the return of hostages being held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, dozens of injured were taken to hospitals after heavy attacks on the outskirts of the southern towns of Rafah and Khan Yunis, according to residents. A senior Hamas official and former health minister Bassem Naim said 27 people were killed in Rafah and 30 in Khan Yunis.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 2,778 people and injured 9,700, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Nearly two-thirds of those killed are children, according to a ministry official.
About 1,200 people are believed to still be under the rubble in Gaza, according to authorities.
More than 1 million Palestinians have fled their homes – about half of Gaza’s population – and 60% of them are now in an area 14 kilometers south of the evacuation zone, according to the UN.
Humanitarian workers warned that the territory is close to complete collapse. Hospitals risk being without electricity, endangering the lives of thousands of patients.