Israel Hospital Strikes in northern Gaza and takes a major part of the south

The Israeli army hit and destroyed part of a hospital in northern Gaza early on Sunday morning, shortly after informing patients and employees to evacuate the site. The attack came hours after the Israeli government announced that its forces, which are fighting elsewhere in the region, have expanded its occupation in the southern Gaza Strip, which led to cutting ties between two Palestinian cities in strategic terms.

No one was killed in the attack on the Arab AHLI Hospital, but the child who was treated due to a head injury died due to the accelerated evacuation, according to a statement issued by the Anglican Church in Jerusalem, which supervises the medical center. The statement added that the strike destroyed a laboratory and caused damage to a pharmacy, the emergency department and a church in the hospital complex in Zaitoun.

The hospital became one of the last pillar of the health care system in Gaza, where it was medical centers Often damaged and besieged During the war that started with Hamas’s attack in October 2023 on Israel. Global Health Organization I mentioned Last month, 33 of Gaza Hospital was damaged 36 during the war, and only 21 partially remained partial. From also to caution On Saturday, hospitals in Gaza face the lack of medicine waving on the horizon because Israel has prevented the delivery of aid for six weeks.

The AHLI Arab Hospital was hit for the first time in less than two weeks of war, when it was a missile He hits A car park on the site where dozens of displaced families were protected. agitation Blame The strike against Israel, before Israel said it was caused by a wrong missile launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a group allied with Hamas. US intelligence officials later He said They had “high confidence” in the Israeli account.

The Israeli army admitted its responsibility on Sunday about the last strike in the hospital, saying without providing evidence that the site includes a Hamas leadership center. The Army and the Anglican Church said that the Israeli soldiers contacted the hospital to request that it be evacuated before the strike. The hospital authorities nor Hamas responded to the questions about whether the hospital was used by Hamas fighters.

In a separate development, the Israeli Minister of Defense announced on Saturday that the seizure of the East and West Strategic Road in southern Gaza. SEVERS is linked between Rafah and Khan Younis, the two main cities in southern Gaza – and expanding the occupation of Israel in this part of the pocket.

Israel launches the “Marage Corridor” road, after a Jewish settlement in the area that was dissolved when the Israeli forces evacuated Gaza in 2005.

The Minister of Defense, Israel Katz, said that Israel had placed the entire region between the corridor and the boundaries of Gaza Egypt-on an area of ​​25 square miles-inside the “security zone of Israel.” The army said it surrounded the city of Rafah, but it has not yet proven operational control of every neighborhood.

Before breaking the ceasefire with Hamas in March, the Israeli forces did not control a slice of land in southern Gaza along the borders of the region with Egypt and Israel. But they started to expand their control In early April In what the Israeli leaders said it was an attempt to pressure Hamas to issue nearly 60 hostages – some believe they died – are still being held in the pocket.

Emira Harroda It contributed to the reports from Doha, Qatar.