Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Kill 47, Including Children and Women

Israeli airstrikes last night on Deir al-Balah, al-Nuseirat, and al-Zawayda in central Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of 47 Palestinians, most of them children and women, and injured many others, according to the Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA).

Medical officials in Gaza reported that at least 46 Palestinians were killed in strikes across the Strip on Thursday, primarily in the north. These strikes targeted Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, igniting medical supplies and disrupting operations. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of using the hospital for military purposes, stating that dozens of militants were hiding there. However, health officials and Hamas deny these allegations.

Further violence in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp central Gaza saw an Israeli air raid on two homes kill at least 16 Palestinians, including a paramedic and two local journalists.

Northern Gaza, claimed by Israel in January to have dismantled Hamas's command structure, remains a primary target of the ongoing Israeli military operations. Earlier this month, Israel deployed tanks in Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia aiming to flush out militants, reported to have regrouped.

Eid Subah, the nursing director at Kamal Adwan Hospital, told Reuters that some staff suffered minor burns following an Israeli strike on the hospital's third floor. There were no reported fatalities from the hospital, which was briefly stormed and occupied by Israeli forces last week. During the raid, Israel claims to have arrested about a hundred individuals, alleging ties to Hamas, with Israeli tanks still stationed nearby.

Gaza's Ministry of Health has appealed to all international bodies to protect hospitals and medical staff. Meanwhile, the Israeli military says it is operating in the hospital area based on intelligence about militants and their infrastructure.

Doctors Without Borders reported last Thursday that one of their doctors, Mohammed Obeid, was detained by Israeli forces on Saturday, calling for his and all medical personnel's protection in Gaza, facing "horrific violence while trying to provide healthcare."

The escalation in Gaza followed an October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. The retaliatory Israeli military operation has, per Palestinian authorities, resulted in over 43,000 Palestinian deaths and the near-total destruction of Gaza.