Hospitals Under Fire as Israeli Forces Deepen Operations in Northern Gaza

Israeli army besieged hospitals and shelters for displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday as they intensified their operations against Palestinian militants, according to residents and medical staff. 

Troops rounded up men and instructed women to leave the historic Jabalia refugee camp. An Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia resulted in five deaths and several injuries, according to medics.

The U.N. Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA) reported that Israeli authorities were preventing humanitarian missions from reaching areas in northern Gaza that were in desperate need of critical supplies, including medicine and food.

Medics at a second hospital, Kamal Adwan, reported heavy Israeli fire near the hospital at night.

"The army is burning the schools next to the hospital, and no one can enter or leave the hospital," said one nurse at the Indonesian Hospital, who asked not to be named.

Palestinian health officials said at least 18 people had been killed in Jabalia and eight elsewhere in Gaza in Israeli strikes.

The Israeli military said in a statement it was operating against "terrorists and terrorist infrastructure" in the Jabalia area.

"There is heavy fire, and the army is burning the schools next to the hospital. No one can enter or leave the hospital," said a nurse at the Indonesian Hospital, who requested anonymity.

Palestinian health officials reported that at least 18 people have been killed in Jabalia, with eight more fatalities elsewhere in Gaza due to Israeli strikes.

In a statement, the Israeli claimed that it was conducting operations against "terrorists and terrorist infrastructure" in the Jabalia area.