Israeli strike hits near Gaza medical centre as truce talks continue
The strike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip came as Israeli and Hamas negotiators hold talks with mediators in Qatar over a proposed 60-day ceasefire and hostage release deal aimed at building agreement on a lasting truce.
However, a senior Israeli official said on Wednesday that an agreement was not likely to be secured for another one or two weeks.
Khalil al-Deqran, spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza's Hamas-run government, said Israel had targeted a medical centre and that six of the dead were children. Many of those injured had suffered severe wounds to the head and chest, he said.
Israel's military said it had struck a militant who took part in the Hamas-led Oct 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. It said it was aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals and that the incident was under review.
Videos on Thursday verified by Reuters showed a scene of carnage, with the bodies of dead and injured, mainly women and children, lying in blood amid a cloud of dust as people screamed all around, and of motionless children lying in blood on a donkey cart.
At Deir al-Balah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the dead and wounded were taken, Samah al-Nouri said her daughter had been killed in the morning's strike after attending the clinic to seek treatment for a throat ailment.
"They hit her with a shell. Her brother went to check and he said they all died. What did they do? What's their fault? She was only getting treatment in a medical facility. Why did they kill them?" she said.
Israeli attacks on Palestinian hospitals and health facilities, detentions of medics, and restrictions on the entry of medical supplies have drawn condemnation from the United Nations.
The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA said in May that the UN had documented at least 686 attacks impacting healthcare in Gaza since the war began.
Dwindling fuel supplies risk further disruption in the remaining, semi-functioning hospitals, including to incubators at the neonatal unit of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, doctors there said.
"We are forced to place four, five or sometimes three premature babies in one incubator," said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, the hospital director, adding that premature babies were now in a critical condition.
TALKS
US President Donald Trump met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to discuss Gaza amid reports Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were nearing agreement on a US-brokered ceasefire proposal after 21 months of war.
The Israeli official who was in Washington with Netanyahu said that if the two sides agree to the ceasefire proposal, Israel would use that time to offer a permanent truce requiring Hamas to disarm.
If Hamas refuses, "we'll proceed" with military operations in Gaza, the official said on condition of anonymity.
A Palestinian official said the talks in Qatar were in crisis and that issues under dispute, including whether Israel would continue to occupy parts of Gaza after a ceasefire, had yet to be resolved.
The two sides previously agreed a ceasefire in January but it did not lead to a deal on a permanent truce and Israel resumed its military assault in March, stopping all aid supplies into Gaza and telling civilians to leave the north of the tiny territory.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has now killed more than 57,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities. It has destroyed swathes of the territory and driven most Gazans from their homes.
The Hamas attack on Israeli border communities that triggered the war killed around 1,200 people and the militant group seized around 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
10 hours ago
- CNA
Gaza Aid Deaths Mount as Netanyahu Mulls Expanding Offensive
GAZA CITY: At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and airstrikes in Gaza on Monday (Aug 4), including 10 who died while seeking humanitarian aid, health authorities in the enclave said. Another five reportedly died of starvation as hunger and chaos mount across the territory. The 10 aid-seekers were killed in two separate incidents near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local medics said. More than 1,000 people have been killed trying to access GHF aid since the group began operating in May, according to the United Nations. Most deaths were reportedly caused by Israeli forces firing near the sites. "Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back as a martyr or injured. No one comes back safe," said Bilal Thari, a 40-year-old Palestinian mourner at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where bodies of those killed while seeking aid were being collected. AID ACCESS REMAINS LIMITED On Sunday, Gaza health officials said at least 13 Palestinians were killed at the Zikim crossing while waiting for UN aid trucks near the northern border with Israel. Due to shortages of burial materials, bodies were wrapped in blankets instead of traditional Islamic shrouds, which Palestinians said had become scarce because of Israeli border restrictions and rising casualties. "We don't want war, we want peace... women are out there on the streets, we have nothing available for us to live a normal life like all human beings," Thari said. The Israeli military said it had not fired earlier Monday in the vicinity of the southern Gaza aid distribution centre but did not address Sunday's incident directly. Israel says it is taking steps to improve aid flow, including pausing military operations in some areas during parts of the day, conducting air drops, and setting up protected routes for aid convoys. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how to instruct the military to meet Israel's war goals in Gaza. 'We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,' Netanyahu said at the outset of a regular cabinet meeting. Israel's Channel 12 cited an official from his office as saying Netanyahu was leaning toward expanding the offensive and seizing the entire Palestinian enclave. The security cabinet is expected to meet on Tuesday to decide on the next steps. STARVATION DEATHS MOUNT Gaza's health ministry reported five additional deaths from starvation or malnutrition in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 180 since the conflict began, including 93 children. UN agencies warn that air drops are insufficient to prevent a potential famine and stress that Israel must accelerate land access for aid. Israel's military agency COGAT said over the past week, more than 23,000 tonnes of aid in 1,200 trucks entered Gaza, though hundreds of those trucks remain undelivered due to logistical and security issues faced by UN and international partners. Later on Monday, Israel's military reported that 120 food aid packages were dropped into Gaza 'over the past few hours' by six different countries, in coordination with COGAT. The Hamas-run Gaza government said more than 600 aid trucks have entered since Israel eased restrictions in late July. However, many have reportedly been looted by desperate civilians and armed groups, according to witnesses and Hamas sources. Palestinian and UN officials estimate Gaza needs around 600 trucks of aid per day, matching pre-war levels, to meet basic humanitarian needs. The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Gaza's health authorities say more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent offensive.
CNA
13 hours ago
- CNA
Gazans Killed Seeking Aid as Starvation Rises and Burial Shrouds Run Out
GAZA CITY: At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and airstrikes in Gaza on Monday (Aug 4), including 10 who died while seeking humanitarian aid, health authorities in the enclave said. Another five reportedly died of starvation as hunger and chaos mount across the territory. The 10 aid-seekers were killed in two separate incidents near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local medics said. More than 1,000 people have been killed trying to access GHF aid since the group began operating in May, according to the United Nations. Most deaths were reportedly caused by Israeli forces firing near the sites. "Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back as a martyr or injured. No one comes back safe," said Bilal Thari, a 40-year-old Palestinian mourner at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where bodies of those killed while seeking aid were being collected. AID ACCESS REMAINS LIMITED On Sunday, Gaza health officials said at least 13 Palestinians were killed at the Zikim crossing while waiting for UN aid trucks near the northern border with Israel. Due to shortages of burial materials, bodies were wrapped in blankets instead of traditional Islamic shrouds, which Palestinians said had become scarce because of Israeli border restrictions and rising casualties. "We don't want war, we want peace... women are out there on the streets, we have nothing available for us to live a normal life like all human beings," Thari said. The Israeli military said it had not fired earlier Monday in the vicinity of the southern Gaza aid distribution centre but did not address Sunday's incident directly. Israel says it is taking steps to improve aid flow, including pausing military operations in some areas during parts of the day, conducting air drops, and setting up protected routes for aid convoys. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss the next phase of the military operation, reiterating Israel's goals of defeating Hamas and securing the release of hostages. STARVATION DEATHS MOUNT Gaza's health ministry reported five additional deaths from starvation or malnutrition in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 180 since the conflict began, including 93 children. UN agencies warn that air drops are insufficient to prevent a potential famine and stress that Israel must accelerate land access for aid. Israel's military agency COGAT said over the past week, more than 23,000 tonnes of aid in 1,200 trucks entered Gaza, though hundreds of those trucks remain undelivered due to logistical and security issues faced by UN and international partners. Later on Monday, Israel's military reported that 120 food aid packages were dropped into Gaza 'over the past few hours' by six different countries, in coordination with COGAT. The Hamas-run Gaza government said more than 600 aid trucks have entered since Israel eased restrictions in late July. However, many have reportedly been looted by desperate civilians and armed groups, according to witnesses and Hamas sources. Palestinian and UN officials estimate Gaza needs around 600 trucks of aid per day, matching pre-war levels, to meet basic humanitarian needs. The war began on Oct 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Gaza's health authorities say more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent offensive.
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
Israel's Netanyahu urges Red Cross to aid hostages as more Palestinians die from hunger in Gaza
CAIRO, JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday (Aug 3) he spoke with the International Red Cross's regional head, Julien Lerisson, and requested his involvement in providing food and medical care to hostages held in Gaza. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. On Saturday, Hamas released its second video in two days of Israeli hostage Evyatar David. In it, David, skeletally thin, is shown digging a hole that, he says in the video, is for his own grave. That as six more people living in Gaza died of starvation or malnutrition in the past 24 hours, its health ministry said on Sunday. The new deaths raised the toll of those dying from what international humanitarian agencies say may be an unfolding famine to 175, including 93 children, since the war began, the ministry said. Israel said over the weekend it allowed a delivery of fuel to the enclave, in the throes of a humanitarian disaster after almost two years of war. Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said two trucks carrying 107 tons of diesel were set to enter Gaza, months after Israel severely restricted aid access to the enclave before easing it somewhat as starvation began to spread. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said later in the day that four tankers of UN fuel had entered to help in the operations of hospitals, bakeries, public kitchens and other essential services. There was no immediate confirmation whether the two diesel fuel trucks had entered Gaza from Egypt. Gaza's health ministry has said fuel shortages have severely impaired hospital services, forcing doctors to focus on treating only critically ill or injured patients. FEW FUEL SHIPMENTS ALLOWED IN TO GAZA SINCE MARCH Fuel shipments have been rare since March, when Israel restricted the flow of aid into the enclave in what it said was pressure on Hamas militants to free the remaining hostages they took in their October 2023 attack on Israel. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza, but, in response to a rising international uproar, it announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. UN agencies say airdrops are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and open up access to the territory to prevent starvation among its 2.2 million people, most of whom are displaced amidst vast swathes of rubble. COGAT said that during the past week, over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 1,200 trucks had entered Gaza but that hundreds of the trucks had yet to be driven to aid distribution hubs by UN and other international organisations. Meanwhile, Belgium's air force dropped the first in a series of its aid packages into Gaza on Sunday in a joint operation with Jordan, the Belgian defence ministry said. France, on Friday, started to air-drop 40 tons of aid. AID TRUCKS NOT YET REACHING PEOPLE DESPERATELY IN NEED The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said nearly 1,600 aid trucks had arrived since Israel eased restrictions late in July. However, witnesses and Hamas sources said many of those trucks have been looted by desperate displaced people and armed gangs. Palestinian local health authorities said at least 40 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the coastal enclave on Sunday. Deaths included persons trying to make their way to aid distribution points in southern and central areas of Gaza, Palestinian medics said. Among those killed was a staff member of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which said an Israeli strike at their headquarters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza ignited a fire on the first floor of the building. The recent Gaza war began when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's air and ground war in densely populated Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health officials.
