Blast kills at least 70 near South Gaza hospital, aid group says
At least 70 people have been reported dead in a hospital in the Southern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike nearby, as stated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The organization disclosed on Sunday that dozens of patients, including children and adolescents, were treated for severe burns at the Nasser medical complex, situated in the city of Khan Younis, approximately 1 kilometer away from the strike site. MSF staff at the hospital reported a total of 122 patients arriving immediately after the strike, and the hospital became overwhelmed.
By midday Sunday, nearly 50 deaths were confirmed, and there were rows of body bags, according to a photographer on the scene. The Israeli army has not provided an immediate response to these reports. Israel has been urging Palestinian civilians to move from the heavily contested north of the territory to the south, claiming it would be safer for them there. However, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Saturday that attacks in the Gaza Strip would soon extend southward.
UN figures indicate that around 20,000 people fled south on Sunday alone. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Monday that the number is based on estimates by UN observers on the ground. The displaced individuals used various means of transportation, including donkey carts, buses, and walking. As a result, more than 1.7 million people are now internally displaced, constituting about three-quarters of Gaza’s population.
