Medical officials said at least 83 Palestinians were killed on Thursday, with 61 of the deaths recorded in Gaza City. Missiles struck areas around al-Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals, killing at least 19 people, including 15 outside al-Shifa.
Hamas denounced the attacks as a “full-fledged war crime” and accused Israel of showing “blatant contempt for the international community,” noting that the strikes came less than a day after a UN report accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera and agencies.
Israeli forces have launched a new wave of attacks on Gaza, striking areas near some of the enclave’s few remaining hospitals while intensifying a ground assault on Gaza City. The escalation has left dozens more civilians dead, according to reports from Al Jazeera and news agencies.
The UK’s Middle East minister, Hamish Falconer, said he was “horrified” by the bombardment of al-Rantisi children’s hospital. Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed the hospital was hit three times, forcing 40 patients to flee while 40 others remained trapped inside with staff.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) mourned the loss of one of its staff, nurse Hussein Alnajjar, who was killed by shrapnel near his tent. The UN inquiry earlier this week also highlighted the destruction of Gaza’s only IVF centre, calling it part of a systematic campaign to dismantle health services—what aid groups describe as “medicide.”
Residents of Gaza City described bombardments at unprecedented levels, with tanks, jets and naval fire flattening homes. Among the dead were a mother and her child in the Shati refugee camp. Despite Israel designating al-Mawasi in southern Gaza a “safe zone,” health officials said the area lacks food, water and medical services and is also under fire.
The UN humanitarian office has warned famine in northern Gaza is worsening, with aid convoys blocked since September 12. Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported Israeli forces detonated 10 booby-trapped armoured vehicles in Tal al-Hawa.
Since October 2023, the Health Ministry said Israel’s war has killed at least 65,062 Palestinians and wounded 165,697, with thousands more buried beneath rubble.
International condemnation has been growing, with humanitarian agencies accusing Israel of deliberately targeting medical facilities. The World Health Organization said repeated strikes on hospitals have “crippled Gaza’s ability to provide even the most basic care” and warned that infectious diseases are spreading rapidly
in overcrowded shelters.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire, saying the repeated attacks on hospitals, shelters and schools “violate international humanitarian law and must stop.” He urged all parties to allow humanitarian access to civilians in desperate need of assistance.
Meanwhile, Israel has defended its operations, claiming that Hamas fighters are using hospitals and civilian areas as cover. The military said its latest strikes targeted “legitimate terrorist infrastructure” and insisted it takes measures to minimise civilian harm, though rights groups dispute these assertions.
Diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting remain stalled. While some European governments have pushed for tougher measures, the United States continues to block calls at the UN Security Council for binding resolutions against Israel, emphasising its ally’s “right to self-defence.”
