Israeli forces stormed a hospital in Southern Gaza Thursday, just hours after a patient was killed and six were wounded inside the complex.
The military said it had “credible intelligence” that Hamas held hostages at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and their remains could still be inside the hospital.
The Israeli Army said it was executing a limited operation to gather their bodies in the hospital, which has been one of the country’s main targets in recent weeks.
Soldiers entered the hospital with heavy tank and gunfire, forcing those sheltering inside to evacuate and flee the area, according to Al Jazeera.
IDF allegedly moved more than 450 people – including 95 medics – out of the hospital and into an old building that is not properly equipped to care for the patients and displaced residents, according to Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra.
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“Many cannot evacuate, such as those with lower limb amputations, severe burns, or the elderly,” al-Qidra told Aljazeera.
However, IDF Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military would not force medics and patients to evacuate. Israel has accused the terrorist group of using the hospital to shield militants and had ordered people evacuate the hospital.
Unverified video of the aftermath showed medics scrambling to wheel patients on stretchers through a corridor filled with smoke or dust, while another showed a doctor using a phone flashlight to illuminate a room where a man was screaming while gunfire echoed outside.
Dr. Khaled Alserr, one of the remaining surgeons at Nasser Hospital, said that the seven patients hit early Thursday were already being treated for past wounds.
A doctor was injured Wednesday after an Israeli drone opened fire on the upper floors of the hospital, Alserr said.
Palestinians said they have nowhere safe to go due to all the strikes.
“Stay at Nasser Hospital against the Israeli military’s orders and become a potential target, or exit the compound into an apocalyptic landscape where bombings and evacuation orders are a part of daily life,” Lisa Macheiner, who is a part of the aid group Doctors Without Borders, said.
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“People have been forced into an impossible situation.” Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday also killed 13 people in Southern Lebanon, where 10 civilians and 3 Hezbollah fighters died.
The strike came just hours after a rocket launch from Lebanon killed an Israeli soldier. Since the beginning of the onslaught on Oct. 7, more than 28,000 Palestinians, including militants, have died.
Around 80% of Gaza’s population have fled their homes and around 25% are facing starvation. Around 130 Israeli captives are still in Hamas’ hands. The terrorist organization said it would not release the hostages until Israel agreed to a permanent cease-fire and the release of more prisoners.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected those “delusional” demands and instead began directing his forces to forces on Rafah, a city along the border of Gaza and Egypt, which he says is one of the last Hamas strongholds.
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With Post wires.
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