The Israeli military has intensified its attack on the Gaza Strip with air strikes that killed at least 70 people on Wednesday, local authorities said.
The Gaza Health Ministry said that people were trapped under rubble “where rescue and civil emergency teams can't reach” after the latest strikes. On Tuesday an attack on the European Hospital in Khan Younis, in the south of Gaza, killed at least 34 people.
Among the dead on Wednesday were 22 children, who were killed in air strikes around Jabalia in northern Gaza, the ministry said. Israel alleged the presence of rocket launchers and other militant equipment in the area.
Israel has pledged to attack Gaza “with full force” in a new phase of its invasion, despite continuing ceasefire talks brokered by the US. Israel resumed military operations in the territory in mid-March, ending a two-month ceasefire.
Since then 2,799 people have been killed, bringing the total death toll to 52,928 since the war began in October 2023.
The Israeli army on Wednesday also issued a warning for the residents of Gaza city's Al Rimal neighbourhood to leave ahead of strikes. The military will “attack the area with great force”, spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X alongside a map of residential blocks that people should leave.
This comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US envoy Steve Witkoff about the release of hostages held in Gaza. The latest talks were taking place in Doha during US President Donald Trump's visit.
Mr Netanyahu's office said he had discussed “the issue of the hostages and the missing” with Mr Witkoff and his negotiating team. Mr Witkoff later said Mr Trump had held “a really productive conversation” with Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, about a Gaza deal.
Hospital attack
The Israeli army said Tuesday's strike was aimed at Hamas militants who, it claimed, were operating from an underground “command and control centre” at the European Hospital.
Mahmoud Basal, a spokesman for Gaza's civil defence, told The National the strikes on the hospital “were extremely intense and left catastrophic effects across the area”.
“Since yesterday, our teams have been trying to recover bodies and wounded individuals, many of whom were buried under the rubble due to the sheer intensity of the bombing,” he said.
Rescue efforts were hindered by repeated strikes on the same site, said Mr Basal, who added that a bulldozer brought to help remove the rubble to retrieve victims was also targeted. Two civil defence workers were injured during the rescue efforts.
Initial reports put the death toll at 28, but the health ministry later received six more bodies, raising the total to 34. The number is expected to rise as more people remain trapped under rubble.
'Terrifying' explosions
Ali Wadi, a 27-year-old taxi driver from Khan Younis, described the moment of the attack. “I was near the European Hospital dropping off passengers when explosions rocked the area,” he said.
“The sand exploded on to my car, and the force was so strong, I felt the car lift off the ground. It was terrifying.”
Mr Wadi initially feared he had been seriously wounded, but his injuries turned out to be minor. He managed to get out of his vehicle, only to find bodies strewn across the area.
“It was a massacre in every sense. Civilians were the real victims. People were buried alive under sand and in deep craters,” he told The National.
He said that after emergency teams arrived, the area was struck again, forcing survivors and rescuers to flee. However, some families stayed behind, desperately digging for their loved ones.
Amro Tabash, a Palestinian journalist who was at the hospital to conduct interviews, narrowly escaped.
“I was standing next to a civilian bus when the missiles hit. The family I was interviewing was thrown into the air with me. We were targeted with heavy missiles … the impact was so violent, I was hurled several metres,” Mr Tabash told The National.
He suffered minor injuries from flying debris and is under medical observation.
“Israel claims to take precautions to protect civilians, but that’s a blatant lie,” Mr Tabash added. “We were journalists, clearly identifiable, in a civilian space protected under international law. This was a war crime.”
