Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently...
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day Tuesday. The military said it had killed 50 Hamas militants in the hospital, but it could not be independently confirmed that the dead were combatants.
The claim could not be confirmed, and the Hamas media office said all those killed in the assault were civilians. But the surge in fighting in Gaza City underscored Hamas’ continued presence in northern Gaza months after Israeli ground troops claimed they largely had control over the area. The United States, Israel’s closest ally, has expressed concern over attacking Rafah because some 1.4 million people from across Gaza have crowded into the area. U.N. officials have warned of a massive death toll and the potential collapse of the humanitarian aid effort if troops moved into Rafah.
The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command center within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital. However, the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians.
The raid prompted heavy fighting for blocks around Shifa. Hamas’ military wing said it struck two Israeli armored vehicles and a group of soldiers with rockets in the vicinity of the hospital.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Live blog: Gaza truce talks set to resume in Cairo as heavy fighting ragesIsrael's war on Gaza — now in its 149th day — has killed at least 30,320 Palestinians, mostly children and women, and wounded 71,533 others.
Read more »
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second dayHeavy fighting is raging around the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods during the second day of the Israeli military's raid on the facility
Read more »
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second dayHeavy fighting is raging around the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods during the second day of the Israeli military's raid on the facility. Thousands of Palestinian patients, medical staff and displaced people were trapped inside the sprawling Shifa Hospital complex in northern Gaza.
Read more »
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second dayHeavy fighting is raging around the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods during the second day of the Israeli military's raid on the facility.
Read more »
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second dayHeavy fighting is raging around the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighborhoods during the second day of the Israeli military's raid on the facility.
Read more »
Heavy fighting rages around Gaza's biggest hospital as Israel raids it for a second dayThe raid was a new blow to Gaza City's Shifa medical complex, which had only partially resumed operations after a destructive Israeli raid in November.
Read more »