GAZA CITY,Gaza Strip (AP) – An Israeli airstrike destroyed a health facility in the central Samer area of Gaza city following an evacuation order,according to reports from the area and confirmed by U.N. agencies and aid groups. The incident occurred amid Israel’s ongoing offensive aimed at occupying Gaza City, a territory already heavily damaged by previous military actions.
The destruction of the health center adds to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where more than 300,000 people have fled Gaza City in recent weeks under israeli orders to move south, though an estimated 700,000 remain. The world’s leading authority on hunger crises stated last month that Israel’s blockade and offensive had already pushed Gaza City into famine.This latest strike further restricts access to already scarce medical care for the remaining population.Israel launched its major offensive earlier this month, seeking to pressure Hamas into surrendering and returning the 48 hostages taken during the Oct. 7,2023,attack that initiated the conflict. Israel believes approximately 20 of the captives are still alive.
The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, reports at least 65,382 Palestinians have been killed in the war, though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. These figures are considered the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties by the U.N. and many independent experts. Hamas-led militants killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 during the Oct. 7 attack; most of the captives have as been released through ceasefires or other agreements.
