ISRAELI strikes have killed more than 50 people in southern Gaza overnight as the military launched ground operations in the hard-hit city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medical officials have said.
Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza nearly a year after Hamas’s October 7 attack ignited the war, even as attention shifted to Lebanon, where it is battling Hezbollah, and to Iran, which launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel late on Tuesday.
At least 51 people have been killed, with another 82 people reported injured.
READ MORE: Israel and Iran swap threats after missile attack
The European Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies after heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in the city.
It said the dead include several women and children, and that dozens of people were wounded.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Dr Saleh al-Hams, head of the nursing department at the hospital, said dozens of dead and wounded people were brought to his facility and the Nasser Hospital from about 3am.
Some of the wounded were in critical condition, meaning the death toll could rise, he added.
He said Israel had carried out heavy airstrikes as its ground forces staged an incursion into three neighbourhoods in Khan Younis.
READ MORE: Person dies in house fire on Scottish island as emergency services tackled blaze
Israel carried out a massive offensive earlier this year that left large parts of the city in ruins.
Over the course of the war, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to areas of Gaza where they have previously fought Hamas and other armed groups as the militants have regrouped.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1200 people on October 7 and took around 250 hostage.
Around 100 are still in captivity in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, flattened wide areas across Gaza and displaced the vast majority of its 2.3 million people, often multiple times.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel