Israeli strikes kill 28 Palestinians in Gaza; hospital told to evacuate
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Eight people, including children, were killed in an Israeli strike at the Musa bin Nusayr school in Gaza City on Dec 22.
PHOTO: AFP
CAIRO – Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 28 Palestinians, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City.
A hospital in the north, meanwhile, was ordered to evacuate its patients and staff.
Palestinian medics said eight people, including four children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr school that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.
Civil agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said at least 13 people were killed in an air strike on a house in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah belonging to the Abu Samra family.
Hours after the strike, a photographer saw residents searching through the debris for survivors, while others looked for belongings they could salvage. In a nearby compound, bodies covered in blankets were laid on the floor.
Mr Bassal said in a statement that an overnight strike killed three people in Rafah, in the south.
And a drone strike early on Dec 22 hit a car in Gaza City, killing four people, he added.
In the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya, where the Israeli army has operated since October, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the army ordered staff to evacuate the hospital and move patients and those injured towards another hospital in the area.
Dr Abu Safiya said the mission was “next to impossible” because staff did not have ambulances to move the patients.
The Israeli army has operated in the two towns of northern Gaza,
Palestinians have accused Israel of carrying out acts of “ethnic cleansing” to depopulate those areas to create a buffer zone.
At least 13 people were killed in an air strike on a house in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah belonging to one family.
PHOTO: REUTERS
‘Closer than ever’
More than 14 months into the Israel-Hamas war, there was no let-up in the violence in Gaza even as Palestinian groups involved in the fighting said a ceasefire deal was “closer than ever”.
Israel has faced growing criticism of its actions during the war, triggered by Hamas’ Oct 7, 2023 attack
Pope Francis on Dec 21 condemned deadly bombardment a day earlier that killed several children as “cruelty”
Hamas and two other Palestinian armed groups said on Dec 21 in a rare joint statement that a truce in Gaza and a hostage release deal might be within reach, provided Israel does not impose new conditions in negotiations.
Negotiations have faced multiple challenges since a one-week truce in November 2023, with the primary point of contention being the establishment of a lasting ceasefire.
Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated they oppose a full military withdrawal from Gaza. Another unresolved issue is the territory’s post-war governance.
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, were held last week in Doha, rekindling hope of a potential breakthrough after months of stalling.
On Dec 18, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was “hopeful” for a deal, but avoided making any predictions as to when it would materialise. REUTERS, AFP
