Israeli strikes kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, orders hospital to evacuate By Reuters

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

CAIRO (Reuters) – At least 17 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip, eight of them at a school in Gaza City housing displaced families, medics said, after the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north.

Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed at Musa Bin Nusayr School, where displaced families were sheltered in Gaza.

The Israeli army said in a statement that the attack targeted Hamas militants operating in the command center inside the school. It was stated that Hamas militants used this place to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli forces.

Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a car.

At least five more Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

In the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, where the army has been operating since October, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the army ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and transfer the patients and wounded to another hospital in the area.

Abu Safiya said the task was “almost impossible” because staff did not have ambulances to transport patients.

The Israeli army has been operating for about three months in Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, two towns in northern Gaza, as well as the nearby Jabalia camp.

Palestinians accused Israel of carrying out acts of “ethnic cleansing” to reduce the population of these areas in order to create a buffer zone.

Israel denies this and says the aim of operations in the region is to fight Hamas militants and prevent them from regrouping. He said his forces had killed hundreds of militants and collapsed military infrastructure since the start of the operation.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they killed many Israeli soldiers in ambushes during the same period.

Mediators have not yet succeeded in brokering a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist group Hamas.

Sources close to the discussions told Reuters on Thursday that Qatar and Egypt have been able to resolve some differences between the warring sides but disagreements remain.

Israel began its attack on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli records. Israel says about 100 hostages are still being held, but it is unclear how many are alive.

Officials in Gaza say Israeli offensives have killed more than 45,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the population of 2.3 million. A large part of the coastal area is in ruins.

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Ali Sawafta. Edited by Christian Schmollinger and France (BCBA: Kerry)