Despite escalating global calls for a ceasefire, Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza persists, with a focus on civilian and healthcare structures.
An Israeli tank shell struck the maternity ward of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, claiming the life of 13-year-old Dina Abu Mehsen and injuring several others.
The brutal attack is part of Israel’s ongoing military campaign targeting Gaza’s health facilities and residential areas, intensifying international calls for an immediate ceasefire.
The Jabalia and Nuseirat refugee camps have suffered mass casualties following these strikes, while Israeli artillery has also ravaged multiple dwellings in the Shujayea, Tuffah, and Daraj neighbourhoods of Gaza City.
At the entrance of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, continuous gunfire has been reported. A devastating attack on the hospital claimed at least 26 Palestinian lives, as Al Jazeera reported.
Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the Gaza Health Ministry, accused Israel of attempting to “eliminate” Gaza’s health sector.
“This is part of a larger scheme that started in northern Gaza from the Shifa complex,” he stated, according to Al Jazeera, stressing that targeting the Nasser Medical Complex is a deliberate effort to collapse the southern Gaza Strip’s health system.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that over 18,800 people, predominantly women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks with over 100 deaths on Sunday alone and dozens more on Monday.
The World Health Organization has described the scene at al-Shifa Hospital, a key pillar of the territory’s healthcare system, as a “bloodbath.” The facility, previously occupied by Israeli forces, is struggling to provide basic trauma care, lacking blood for transfusions and adequate staff to manage the influx of patients.
Dr. Rana Hajjeh, from WHO’s Cairo office, conveyed the dire conditions: “Injured patients are everywhere, being sutured on the floor due to a lack of beds or stretchers. There’s an absence of pain medication, and they’re just bleeding on the floor.”
Thousands of displaced individuals are sheltering in and around the hospital amid severe shortages of water and food.
Israeli soldiers also invaded the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, killing dozens and evacuating wounded patients and medical staff. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed extreme concern about the hospital’s situation. The Israeli military insists the hospital was a Hamas “command and control centre,” detaining about 80 fighters.
Palestinian Health Minister Mai al-Kaila has demanded an urgent investigation following allegations of Israeli forces crushing Palestinians with bulldozers at the hospital.
Presently, only four of the 24 hospitals in north Gaza are partially operational, with three barely functioning, according to WHO.
Recent Israeli raids in the Jabalia refugee camp resulted in 110 Palestinian deaths, while an attack on the Nuseirat camp killed at least 25 overnight.
Amidst these ongoing strikes, international pressure on the Israeli government is intensifying. The UN Security Council is deliberating a UAE-drafted resolution demanding a truce and aid delivery in Gaza.
As the war’s impact deepens, the UN estimates that 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, warned of potential deaths from hunger, disease, and weakened immunity.
Calls for an immediate ceasefire have been echoed by France, Germany, the UK, and Israeli protesters, urging for renewed talks with Hamas.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, visiting Tel Aviv, is expected to push for a de-escalation of major combat operations.
His itinerary also includes a visit to Qatar, a mediator in previous truce negotiations.