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| Airstrike destroys parts of Gaza City hospital as Israel intensifies offensive | Airstrike destroys parts of Gaza City hospital as Israel intensifies offensive |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Civil defence agency says al-Ahli hospital hit as IDF operations cut off access to southern city of Rafah | Civil defence agency says al-Ahli hospital hit as IDF operations cut off access to southern city of Rafah |
| An Israeli airstrike destroyed parts of a hospital in Gaza City early on Sunday as Israel continued its military offensive in the war-battered Palestinian territory and cut off access to the southern city of Rafah. | An Israeli airstrike destroyed parts of a hospital in Gaza City early on Sunday as Israel continued its military offensive in the war-battered Palestinian territory and cut off access to the southern city of Rafah. |
| The Palestinian civil defence agency said Israel’s air force fired missiles at al-Ahli hospital, also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab hospital. It is the only hospital still functioning in Gaza City after the destruction of medical facilities in the northern area of the strip. | The Palestinian civil defence agency said Israel’s air force fired missiles at al-Ahli hospital, also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab hospital. It is the only hospital still functioning in Gaza City after the destruction of medical facilities in the northern area of the strip. |
| The agency said the bombing “led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units”. | The agency said the bombing “led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units”. |
| There were no reports of casualties in the strike but the Gaza health ministry said one child died during the rushed evacuation as they were unable to provide urgent care. | There were no reports of casualties in the strike but the Gaza health ministry said one child died during the rushed evacuation as they were unable to provide urgent care. |
| In a statement confirming the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged the hospital was a command and control centre used by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza. | In a statement confirming the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged the hospital was a command and control centre used by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls Gaza. |
| “The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the military said in its statement. | “The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the military said in its statement. |
| According to a statement by the Palestinian civil defence agency, doctors and patients were given only about 20 minutes’ warning to evacuate the building before the strike. Video footage circulating online appeared to show people fleeing the building as it was engulfed in smoke and flames. The IDF said it had taken steps to “mitigate harm to civilians” and issued “advance warnings”. | |
| The Gaza health ministry called it a “horrific crime” and said Israel was deliberately destroying Gaza’s healthcare system. | The Gaza health ministry called it a “horrific crime” and said Israel was deliberately destroying Gaza’s healthcare system. |
| The al-Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican church in Jerusalem. In a statement, the episcopal diocese of Jerusalem said it was “appalled” at the airstrike, and said it was the fifth time the hospital had been targeted. | |
| Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of embedding military operations in hospitals and civilian buildings, which the group has denied. | Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of embedding military operations in hospitals and civilian buildings, which the group has denied. |
| On Saturday Israel said it had completed its takeover of a new “security zone” that cut off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, part of a wider Israeli operation to establish and expand a security buffer zone across southernmost Gaza where Palestinians are banned from entering. | On Saturday Israel said it had completed its takeover of a new “security zone” that cut off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, part of a wider Israeli operation to establish and expand a security buffer zone across southernmost Gaza where Palestinians are banned from entering. |
| The defence minister, Israel Katz, announced that Israel’s military had seized the corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, which he referred to as the “Morag axis”, giving Israel effective control of the area stretching from the Egyptian border to Rafah. Evacuation orders were also given for several neighbourhoods in Khan Younis on Saturday night. | The defence minister, Israel Katz, announced that Israel’s military had seized the corridor between Rafah and Khan Younis, which he referred to as the “Morag axis”, giving Israel effective control of the area stretching from the Egyptian border to Rafah. Evacuation orders were also given for several neighbourhoods in Khan Younis on Saturday night. |
| The prewar population of Rafah was about 275,000, which earlier this year expanded to an estimated 1.4 million as Palestinians were displaced from north and central Gaza by Israeli security operations. | The prewar population of Rafah was about 275,000, which earlier this year expanded to an estimated 1.4 million as Palestinians were displaced from north and central Gaza by Israeli security operations. |
| But since the breakdown of the ceasefire with Hamas in March, Israel has resumed its offensive with vigour and vowed to seize large parts of Gaza to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages and accept new ceasefire terms. | But since the breakdown of the ceasefire with Hamas in March, Israel has resumed its offensive with vigour and vowed to seize large parts of Gaza to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages and accept new ceasefire terms. |
| Last week Israel issued sweeping evacuation orders for most of Rafah, once again displacing swathes of Gaza’s population of 2 million people. In the last three weeks alone, dozens of evacuation orders have been issued and 400,000 Palestinians have been told to move, according to the United Nations. | |
| On Friday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that more than two-thirds of Gaza is now either under active displacement orders or designated as “no-go” zones, where humanitarian groups can not operate freely. Meanwhile, the areas of Gaza that remain habitable continue to shrink and most people are living packed together in squalid tents or the rubble of their homes. | |
| The establishment of Israeli control over crucial corridors in the south and northern areas of Gaza, as well as the expanding security buffer zone, means it now controls more than 50% of the strip. | |
| Katz vowed to continue to expand operations “vigorously” across the rest of Gaza. “IDF activity will soon expand strongly to additional locations throughout most of Gaza and you will have to evacuate the fighting zones,” he said. | Katz vowed to continue to expand operations “vigorously” across the rest of Gaza. “IDF activity will soon expand strongly to additional locations throughout most of Gaza and you will have to evacuate the fighting zones,” he said. |
| The statement by Katz urged Palestinians to stand up and remove Hamas and release the remaining hostages, saying: “This is the only way to stop the war.” There was no immediate Hamas response. | The statement by Katz urged Palestinians to stand up and remove Hamas and release the remaining hostages, saying: “This is the only way to stop the war.” There was no immediate Hamas response. |
| Katz said Palestinians interested in “voluntarily” relocating to other countries would be able to as part of a proposal by Donald Trump, the US president. Palestinians have rejected the proposal and expressed their determination to remain in their homeland, while Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan would amount to “ethnic cleansing”. | Katz said Palestinians interested in “voluntarily” relocating to other countries would be able to as part of a proposal by Donald Trump, the US president. Palestinians have rejected the proposal and expressed their determination to remain in their homeland, while Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan would amount to “ethnic cleansing”. |
| Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government has imposed a month-long blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left people in Gaza facing acute shortages of food, water and medicines as supplies dwindle, a tactic that rights groups say amounts to a war crime. Israel has claimed that enough supplies have entered Gaza since the breakdown of the ceasefire, a claim widely disputed by aid groups. | Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government has imposed a month-long blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left people in Gaza facing acute shortages of food, water and medicines as supplies dwindle, a tactic that rights groups say amounts to a war crime. Israel has claimed that enough supplies have entered Gaza since the breakdown of the ceasefire, a claim widely disputed by aid groups. |
| Since the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. | Since the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 on southern Israel, which killed about 1,200 people, Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 50,000 people, most of them civilians, according to the territory’s health ministry. |