Israel ends military operation at Gaza hospital

By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) – The Israeli army said Sunday that it has ended its military operation at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip.

A military statement claimed that Israeli forces seized unused sealed medicines carrying names of Israeli hostages during the raid on the hospital.

According to the statement, around 200 “terrorists” and suspects were arrested and weapons seized during the operation.

There was no comment from Hamas on the Israeli statement.

The Israeli army raided the medical facility on Feb. 15 after a weeks-long siege, forcing thousands of displaced Palestinians inside the hospital to flee under heavy Israeli bombardment.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said eight patients had died at the hospital last week due to a lack of oxygen amid an Israeli raid on the medical complex.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing more than 29,690 Palestinians, injuring nearly 70,000 and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi