Israeli forces killed scores of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with tanks advancing on the ground and blowing up homes as the military announced the death of its 800th soldier in the besieged enclave.
At least 12 Palestinians were killed in a strike on , including a professor who refused to flee the area with his family. Another man was killed nearby by an Israeli tank shell while at least ten more people were missing as rescue operations continued.
Also in northern Gaza, eight people were killed in an Israeli attack on a building where many civilians were sheltering in the town of Beit Lahia.
The north of Gaza has been under intense Israeli attack and siege for weeks, and Israel is believed to be implementing a 'General's Plan' there designed to kill, starve, or expel the remaining inhabitants.
Many Gazans have refused to leave the area, however, fearing that they will never be allowed back if they do.
Israel is also continuing to attack the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia.
Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the hospital, said it was "bombed across all its departments without warning, as we were trying to save an injured person in the intensive care unit" on Tuesday.
"Following the arrest of 45 members of the medical and surgical staff and the denial of entry to a replacement team, we are now losing wounded patients daily who could have survived if resources were available," he told Reuters in a text message.
"Unfortunately, food and water are not allowed to enter, and not even a single ambulance is permitted access to the north."
There were 85 injured people, including children and women, at the hospital, six in the ICU. Seventeen children had arrived with signs of malnutrition as a result of food shortages. One man died of dehydration a day ago, Abu Safiya added.
800th Israeli soldier killed
Israel also attacked the Sabra area of Gaza City. When civil defence workers arrived to help the casualties, Israeli ground units fired on them, killing one rescue worker and wounding three others.
The Israeli military also said that one of its soldiers, an infantry sergeant identified as 21-year-old Roi Sasson, was killed in northern Gaza. He is the 800th Israeli soldier to be killed in the Gaza Strip since the war broke out in October 2023.
In the south of the Gaza Strip, the bodies of two people killed in Israeli attacks were recovered near Rafah.
Israel has repeatedly attacked rescue workers and ambulances in the Gaza Strip, making it nearly impossible for them to operate.
The civil defence said on Tuesday that most of its emergency vehicles had stopped operating because of a lack of fuel, amid a continued Israeli siege on Gaza.
“We declare the cessation of operations for most civil defence vehicles in Gaza Governorate due to insufficient fuel. Currently, we are operating with only one water tanker and one rescue vehicle,” a statement from the Civil Defence said.
Netanyahu visits Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited the Gaza Strip, along with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and army chief Herzi Halevi.
He offered a $5 million reward for anyone who returned an Israeli captive held in Gaza while threatening those who harmed them.
There are believed to be 101 remaining Israeli captives in Gaza. Netanyahu’s government has consistently stalled negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt to bring about an end to the Gaza war and a captive exchange deal.
Reuters contributed to this report.