Israeli strikes kill dozens across Gaza over 48 hours
Israeli air strikes across Gaza have killed at least 120 Palestinians in the past 48 hours and targeted a hospital on the northern edge of the enclave, wounding medical staff and damaging equipment, Palestinian medics said on Saturday.
One strike hit a house in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, killing seven members of the same family.
At least 205 people have also been wounded in Israeli strikes on northern, central and southern Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said, adding that a number of victims remain trapped under the rubble and stuck on the streets, with ambulance and civil defence crews unable to reach them.
The latest figures bring the toll to at least 44,176 Palestinians killed and 104,473 wounded since Israel's war on Gaza began on 7 October last year, the health ministry said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces intensified their incursion and bombardment of the northern edge of the besieged enclave, where a fresh offensive has been ongoing since early last month.
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At Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, one of three barely operational medical facilities on Gaza's northern edge, director Hussam Abu Safiya said the ongoing Israeli bombardment appeared to be aimed at forcing hospital staff to leave the premises - something they have refused to do since the offensive began.
"Yesterday [Friday], from the afternoon until midnight, the bombardment directly targeted the entrance to the emergency and reception area several times," Abu Safiya said in a statement.
He said that 12 staff members, including doctors and nurses, were wounded in the attacks.
The attacks, he added, caused significant damage, disrupting the hospital's electrical generator, oxygen supply network and water system.
The Palestinian health ministry reiterated its warning of an imminent shutdown of all hospitals or a reduction in their services due to the worsening fuel shortage and Israel’s refusal to allow fuel supplies into Gaza.
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