At least 70 deaths have been reported in a hospital in the city following an Israeli airstrike in the south of Gaza Strip. According to Doctors Without Borders, dozens of patients, many of them children and young people, had to be treated for severe burns at Nasser Hospital on Sunday.
As the situation unfolded, a photographer for the German press agency reported that there were many body bags lined up in the clinic by midday. However, the Israeli army did not initially release a statement on reports of attacks in the south of Gaza Strip.
Médecins Sans Frontières’ project manager in southern Gaza, Christophe Garnier, stated that “the medical needs are enormous.” The group is ready to expand its operations but needs “basic security guarantees and unrestricted access to medical and humanitarian supplies.” He demanded that a ceasefire be put in place now more than ever to stop the ongoing bloodshed.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced on Saturday that attacks in Gaza Strip would continue and soon be expanded to the south. The military has been calling on northern residents for more than a month to flee to a southern zone west of Khan Yunis on the Mediterranean. Most recently, residents of Khan Younis were also asked to flee for the first time.