Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israeli fire struck a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid at a roundabout in Gaza City on Thursday, killing at least 20 and wounding 150. The Israeli military says it was looking into the reports. Meanwhile, the death toll from a strike the day before on a crowded shelter in Gaza rose to 12, with over 75 wounded, according to Thomas White, a senior official with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. The agency did not directly blame Israel, which is the only party to the conflict that has tanks. The Israeli military said it has “currently ruled out” that the strike was carried out by its aircraft or artillery but was still investigating. It says the building might have been hit by a Hamas rocket. The fighting in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis has isolated its two main hospitals, stranding hundreds of patients and thousands of displaced people inside. A third hospital was evacuated overnight, White said. Thousands of people rushed to escape farther south in recent days, crowding into shelters and tent camps near the border with Egypt. The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 25,700 people have been killed and another 63,000 wounded in the enclave since the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, when militants from Gaza killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- Israeli Fire in Gaza City: Gaza’s Health Ministry reports Israeli fire struck a crowd in Gaza City, waiting for humanitarian aid, killing at least 20 and wounding 150.
- Investigation by Israeli Military: The Israeli military acknowledges the incident and is investigating the reports.
- Shelter Strike Death Toll Rises: UN official reports death toll from a Gaza shelter strike rose to 12, with over 75 wounded.
- UNRWA’s Statement: UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, reports the shelter was hit by two tank shells but does not directly blame Israel.
- Israeli Military’s Response: The Israeli military suggests the shelter might have been hit by a Hamas rocket and denies involvement of its aircraft or artillery.
- Hospitals in Khan Younis Isolated: Fighting in Khan Younis has cut off access to its main hospitals, affecting patients and displaced people.
- Gaza Health Ministry’s Casualty Report: Over 25,700 killed and 63,000 wounded in Gaza since the conflict’s escalation on Oct. 7.
- Aid Efforts Hindered in Northern Gaza: Humanitarian aid is limited in northern Gaza, significantly affected by the conflict.
- Children from Gaza Receiving Medical Treatment in Italy: Italy has started receiving Palestinian children for medical treatment.
- Idan Amedi’s Hospital Release: Israeli actor and soldier Idan Amedi to be released from the hospital after being wounded in Gaza.
The associated Press has the story:
Gaza officials: Israeli fire strikes a crowd waiting for aid, kills 20, wounds 150
Newslooks- BEIRUT — (AP)
Gaza’s Health Ministry says Israeli fire has hit a crowd of people waiting for humanitarian aid at a roundabout in Gaza City on Thursday, killing at least 20.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra says another 150 people were wounded in the attack and that the death toll is likely to rise as dozens of seriously wounded people were brought to the city’s Shifa Hospital.
The ministry did not specify what type of weapons were involved. The Israeli military says it is looking into the reports.
Israeli troops and tanks pushed into Gaza City shortly after the ground invasion began and have been battling militants there for nearly two months. The military says it has largely defeated Hamas in northern Gaza but is still facing pockets of resistance.
The offensive has obliterated entire neighborhoods and caused widespread destruction across northern Gaza, raising concerns over whether the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who heeded Israeli orders to flee south will be able to return.
The north has also been largely cut off from humanitarian aid, even as tens of thousands of people have remained there.‘
DEATH TOLL RISES TO 12 WITH DOZENS WOUNDED AFTER A STRIKE ON A CROWDED GAZA SHELTER, UN OFFICIAL SAYS
JERUSALEM — A United Nations official says the death toll from a strike on a crowded shelter in Gaza has risen to 12, with over 75 wounded.
Thomas White, a senior official with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said Thursday that 15 of those wounded were in critical condition. UNRWA says two tank shells hit a building in a shelter housing thousands of displaced Palestinians on Wednesday in the southern city of Khan Younis, which has seen heavy fighting in recent days. The building caught fire, it said.
It did not directly blame Israel, which is the only party to the conflict that has tanks.
The Israeli military said it has “currently ruled out” that the strike was carried out by its aircraft or artillery but was still investigating. It says the building might have been hit by a Hamas rocket.
The fighting in Khan Younis has isolated its two main hospitals, Nasser and Al-Amal, stranding hundreds of patients and thousands of displaced people inside.
White says a third hospital was evacuated overnight, and that among the patients who departed were women who had just undergone cesarean sections.
FIRST GROUP OF GAZA KIDS ARRIVE IN ITALY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT
ROME — The first group of Palestinian children have started to arrive in Italy for medical treatment at hospitals in Bologna, Florence and Rome.
The Italian Defense ministry has announced that it will transfer a total of 100 children to Italy for medical care. The first 30 arrived on an Italian air force plane from Egypt, and others will follow on the Italian naval ship Vulcano.
The ministry did not provide details the children’s conditions. It said the second group is being accompanied by adult guardians but did not specify for the group traveling by air.
Israel, in a statement Monday, said civilian evacuations by air have been taking place since November in coordination with the Shin Bet domestic security agency and COGAT, the military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs.
FAUDA’ ACTOR WILL BE RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL AFTER HE WAS WOUNDED IN GAZA
TEL AVIV — Israeli singer and actor Idan Amedi, known for his role in the popular series “Fauda,” is being released from the hospital Thursday after he was seriously wounded on Jan. 8 while his unit was laying explosives to destroy a tunnel in central Gaza.
Six Israeli soldiers were killed in the operation and dozens were injured when a tank shell prematurely ignited the explosives before the soldiers had cleared the area.
“Although I was seriously injured, my spirit is strong,” Amedi said in a news conference upon his release to home rehabilitation. “I refuse to make this injury the story of my life; it’s just another milestone. I will come back to sing and act, and with God’s help, I will also return to fight for my country.”
Amedi, 35, has been on reserve duty in the Israeli military since Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7. Israel has enlisted roughly 360,000 reserve soldiers from all walks of life in its war against Hamas.
Amedi said he plans to return to act in Fauda after his rehabilitation. “Fauda” follows a team of undercover agents from Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, in their operations against Palestinians. While the show is critically acclaimed, some Palestinians say it trivializes their experience under Israel’s open-ended military occupation of the West Bank. Amedi played Sagi Tzur, a rookie undercover agent, during the series’ second to fourth seasons, and is also a successful singer-songwriter in Israel.
Currently:
— Cease-fire efforts for the Israel-Hamas war gain steam. But an agreement still appears elusive.
— Qatar, a key mediator in sensitive Israel-Hamas talks, lashes out at Netanyahu over his critical remarks.
— Freed Israeli hostage says she met Hamas’ leader in a tunnel, where she was kept in dire conditions.
— U.N. court will issue a ruling Friday on South Africa’s request for an order to halt Israel’s Gaza offensive.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
