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Key PointsTroops advanced for the first time into the al-Mawasi district, west of Khan Younis.Israel says Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which Hamas and medical staff deny.Residents said the bombardment from air, land and sea was the most intense in southern Gaza since the war began.
Israeli forces, advancing deep into western Khan Younis in Gaza’s bloodiest fighting so far in January, have stormed one hospital and put another under siege, cutting off the wounded from trauma care, Palestinian officials say.
Troops advanced for the first time into the al-Mawasi district near the Mediterranean Coast, west of Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza.
There, they stormed the Al-Khair hospital and were arresting medical staff, Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra told Reuters.
There was no word from Israel on the situation at the hospital, and the military spokesperson’s office had no comment. The military said later that three Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday in southern Gaza.
The military said later that three Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday in southern Gaza.
Qidra said at least 50 people were killed on Sunday night in Khan Younis, while the sieges at medical facilities meant dozens of dead and wounded were beyond the reach of rescuers.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said tanks had surrounded another Khan Younis hospital, al-Amal, headquarters of the rescue agency, which had lost contact with staff there.
“We are deeply worried about what is happening around our hospital,” said Tommaso Della Longa, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday said Israel had a right to defend itself but added: “We expect them to do so in accordance with international law and to protect innocent people in hospitals, medical staff and patients as well, as much as possible.”
Israel says Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which Hamas and medical staff deny.
Israel launched an offensive last week to capture Khan Younis, which it now says is the principal headquarters of the Hamas militants responsible for the 7 October attacks in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government.
More than 25,295 people have been killed in Gaza since 7 October, the majority of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
It does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths but says most of those killed have been civilians.
The 7 October attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Mounting international concern
International concern has mounted over the Palestinian death toll from Israel’s assault on the densely populated enclave and a humanitarian crisis afflicting hundreds of thousands of people.
The United States has urged Israel to reduce civilian harm in Gaza, called on it to stop violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and has said it still believes a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is possible.
In Brussels on Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz sidestepped discussion of a two-state solution at a meeting with European Union counterparts, opting to show them aspirational videos of future infrastructure projects.
, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday reaffirmed a hard line, saying any Palestinian state would pose “an existential danger” to Israel.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has circulated a discussion paper with a roadmap to peace that calls for a preparatory peace conference organised by the EU and Arab nations. The US and UN were also invited to be conveners.
, which has governed the Gaza Strip since the most recent elections in 2006.
Its stated aim is to establish a Palestinian state and stop the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, illegal under international law.
Hamas in its entirety is listed as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and seven other countries, including Australia.
In 2021 the International Criminal Court opened an investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes in the Palestinian territories dating back to 2014, including the recent attacks of both Israel and Hamas.
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