A local hospital in Gaza reports that at least 48 Palestinians, including 22 children and 15 women, were killed overnight in a series of Israeli air strikes in the northern part of the territory.
The Indonesian hospital stated that a number of homes in Jabalia town and its refugee camp were struck. Footage shared online purportedly depicted at least a dozen bodies on the ground in the aftermath.
The Israeli military has indicated that it is reviewing these reports. On Tuesday night, it had issued warnings to residents of Jabalia and adjacent areas to evacuate following rocket launches into Israel by a Palestinian armed group.
This development occurred as the UN’s humanitarian affairs chief urged members of the UN Security Council to take action to “prevent genocide” in Gaza. Speaking at a meeting in New York on Tuesday, Tom Fletcher accused Israel of “deliberately and unashamedly imposing inhumane conditions on civilians”.
He called upon Israel to end its 10-week blockade of Gaza and criticized the Israeli-US plan to assume control over the distribution of humanitarian aid within the territory.
The Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, informed the council that foreign aid was being utilized to support Hamas’s war efforts.
Meanwhile, US Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Adam Boehler announced their travel to Qatar for renewed negotiations regarding a potential ceasefire and the release of hostages.
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has threatened to escalate its military offensive in Gaza this week unless Hamas agrees to release the 58 hostages it continues to hold.
On Tuesday, a significant Israeli air strike on the European hospital’s compound in southern Gaza resulted in the deaths of at least 28 people, according to local officials.
Israeli media reports suggested that the target was Mohammed Sinwar, believed to have become the leader of Hamas in Gaza following the death of his brother Yahya by Israeli forces last October.
The Israeli military described the operation as “a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating in a command-and-control centre” located beneath the hospital.
The Israeli military initiated its campaign to dismantle Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in the territory, at least 52,908 people have been killed in Gaza since that time.
