GAZA CITY: Israeli forces on Monday launched a deep incursion into western Khan Younis city of Gaza in the bloodiest aggression of the new year. Reports confirm that Israeli troops stormed the Al-Khair hospital and placed another Al-Amal hospital under siege, cutting off trauma care for the wounded, Palestinian officials reported.
The Israeli invasion of the Al-Mawasi district, situated west of Khan Younis along the Mediterranean Coast, marks a significant advance in the ongoing violence in the besieged Gaza Strip. Ashraf al Qidra, spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry, reported that medical staff at Al-Khair Hospital were being arrested, and tanks surrounded Al-Amal Hospital, the headquarters of the Palestinian Red Crescent.
Amidst the intensified fighting, at least 50 people were reported killed overnight in Khan Younis. The sieges on medical facilities have left dozens of dead and wounded beyond the reach of rescuers, with Qidra stating, “The Israeli occupation is preventing ambulance vehicles from moving to recover bodies of martyrs and the wounded from western Khan Younis.”
The Israeli military spokesperson’s office has yet to provide immediate comment on the situation at Al-Khair hospital. Israel has previously claimed that Hamas fighters operate from and around hospitals, an accusation denied by Hamas and medical staff.
Over 25,295 Palestinians Killed in Ongoing Israeli Bombardment in Gaza
The newest phase of the Israeli bombardment is targeting the last corners of Gaza, now packed with those who fled bombardment. At least 25,295 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed since October 7, Gaza health authorities said in an update on Monday.
The majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are now penned into Rafah just south of Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah just north of it, crammed into public buildings and vast camps of tents made from plastic sheets lashed to wooden frames.
At Nasser Hospital, the only major hospital still accessible in Khan Younis and the largest still functioning in Gaza, the video showed the trauma ward overwhelmed with wounded being treated on a floor splashed with blood. Relatives wailed, surrounding small wounded children being treated several to a bed.
Men were digging graves inside the hospital grounds because it was no longer safe to venture out to the cemetery. Authorities said 40 people were buried in the hospital grounds. A man placed the tiny body of a toddler wrapped inside a white shroud into a shallow hole in the sand.
