17 killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes near hospital in Gaza

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – At least 17 Palestinians were killed and scores injured in Israeli airstrikes near the Yousef El-Najar Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, according to witnesses.

Fighter jets struck two houses near the hospital in Rafah city, witnesses said.

Dozens of people were reported to remain under the rubble.

“Israeli warplanes struck the houses before dawn, causing massive destruction in the area,” an eyewitness told Anadolu.

On Monday, at least 12 people were killed in Israeli shelling of the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.

*Writing by Ziad Aslan in Ankara