Israel confirms attack on Gaza hospital, recovery of two bodies

Yahoo

2 days ago

Israel's military on Thursday confirmed carrying out an attack on the courtyard of the al-Ahli hospital in the northern Gaza Strip and that it had recovered the bodies of two elderly Israelis presumed killed by Hamas.
Three people were killed and others injured in the strike, according to Palestinian hospital officials.
The Gaza media office of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas militia reported that the dead were three reporters working for media outlets affiliated with Islamic Jihad, a militant group. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not specify fatalities.
The IDF stated that the attack targeted a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad who was operating from a command centre in the hospital courtyard in Gaza City. The assertions could not be independently verified.
Hamas once again is using a Gaza hospital "for terrorist activity, cynically and brutally using the civilian population in the hospital and its surroundings," the IDF said in a statement.
It said it took steps to mitigate harm to civilians, "including the use of precise munitions." The hospital has come under Israeli fire multiple times since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
Bodies of Israeli couple recovered
Separately, the IDF said bodies identified as those of 72-year-old Gadi Haggai and his 70-year-old wife Judih Weinstein were recovered in a joint special operation with the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency in the area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he and his wife "convey our heartfelt condolences to the dear families. Our hearts grieve over this terrible loss. May their memories be blessed."
A statement from the Israeli kibbutz Nir Oz, where the couple lived, said they had been brought back to the settlement and would now be buried.
The family was informed of their deaths in December 2023.
Israel assumes the couple were killed during the terrorist attack on October 7, 2003, when Hamas and other Palestinian militants raided southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostage.
According to Israeli sources, at least 20 hostages are still alive in the Gaza Strip. The remains of 33 dead hostages are believed to be in a sealed-off area which contains countless underground tunnel systems.
The October 7, 2023 massacre prompted Israel to launch a large-scale war against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled health authority in the territory says over 54,000 people have since been killed by Israeli attacks.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum described the return of the remains as "painful and heartbreaking," but said it alleviates uncertainty.
It said "decision-makers must do everything necessary to reach an agreement" to free the remaining living hostages and return the bodies of the deceased.
Gaza aid centres reopening with two new facilities
Also on Thursday, aid centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were to begin operating, with two additional distribution points opening.
Aid distribution was suspended due to "renovation work."
Both centres are located in the area of Rafah in the southern part of the Palestinian coastal region, according to a statement posted on the foundation's Facebook page.
The organization, supported by Israel and the United States, is bypassing the United Nations and other humanitarian initiatives and has faced criticism for endangering civilians and violating established standards of neutral aid.
Israel, however, has stated that its aim is to prevent Hamas from seizing the aid supplies.
In response to reports of deadly shootings at aid stations in recent days, the GHF has pledged to improve security at the distribution centres.
The foundation stated on Facebook that it is working to make the distribution of food packages as safe as possible. All Palestinians heading to the centres were strongly urged to follow the routes designated by the Israeli military.
Journalists call for Gaza access
In the midst of the war, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has called for immediate, independent and unrestricted access for international journalists to the Gaza Strip.
At a time when there are renewed Israeli attacks on the Palestinian coastal strip and the delivery of humanitarian aid is resuming, it is crucial that Israel opens the borders to international journalists, an open letter states.
The letter also demands that Israel ensure the protection of local reporters in the region. RSF published the letter jointly with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which it said was signed by more than 100 international media outlets.
Since the start of the Gaza war, only a few international journalists have been able to enter the Gaza Strip, and only when accompanied by the Israeli military.
CPJ said at least 181 journalists have been killed in Gaza and Lebanon since the conflict flared again.
Israel has repeatedly accused Palestinian reporters in Gaza of working for Hamas.
Several media outlets in the blockaded strip are known to be close to the Islamist organization. However, some critics view the accusations against local reporters as a tactic by Israel to suppress critical reporting from the war zone.