Eyewitnesses said that heavy gunfire and the withdrawal of major international medical organizations sparked panic among displaced civilians who took refuge in the facility, prompting many of them to flee again in search of relative safety.
Ashraf Abu Amra, a freelance journalist present at the hospital, said: “Due to extreme fear, a large number of displaced persons present in the hospital’s courtyards dismantled their tents yesterday evening and this morning, and headed towards the city of Rafah.” In a voice message on Monday. He added that by the evening, 35 bodies had arrived at the hospital, “because it is the only one that covers the entire central regions.”
The Israeli army began gradually withdrawing its forces from northern Gaza late last month, saying it had greatly disrupted Hamas operations in this part of the Strip. But large-scale attacks continue across central and southern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of civilians have taken refuge.
Israel is under increasing international pressure to curb its military campaign and facilitate the delivery of more aid to the besieged Strip.
Speaking with his British and French counterparts at the beginning of Italy's presidency of the G7 richest countries, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that it was “absolutely necessary to immediately reduce the number of Palestinian civilian casualties,” according to the statement of the call. . He added, “The second goal is to pressure the Israeli government to end military operations,” and to push for the “difficult but inevitable” two-state solution.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in the region to try to avoid a wider war, said on Monday that the United States and Arab leaders had agreed to coordinate plans for how to govern Gaza after the end of the Israeli military campaign.
Blinken told reporters after his meeting with Saudi Arabia, “We agreed to work together and coordinate our efforts to help Gaza stabilize and recover, chart a political path forward for the Palestinians, and work to achieve long-term peace, security, and stability in the region.” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Blinken arrived in the ancient Saudi city of Al-Ula on Monday after meetings with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, Greece and Turkey.
In his visits, Blinken tried to interest leaders in contributing to a plan to govern and rebuild Gaza — something Arab leaders have been loathe to discuss as the massive civilian death toll continues to rise.
“No one I talked to thought any of this would be easy,” he said. “Everyone is aware of the obstacles and no one believes that anything will happen overnight.”
Washington considers the financial support provided by Saudi Arabia and other energy-rich Persian Gulf states to be critical to any long-term solution in Gaza. At the same time, Arab countries have made clear that they are not interested in footing the reconstruction bill without establishing a firm path toward establishing a sovereign Palestinian state.
Blinken then boarded a plane to Israel, landing Monday evening in Tel Aviv, where he said he would present ideas he heard from Arab countries, including the need to create a Palestinian state — something Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out. .
He also said he would press Israel “on the absolute necessity of doing more to protect civilians, and doing more to make sure humanitarian aid gets into the hands of those who need it.”
The Israeli campaign has killed more than 23,000 people in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, and its forces have repeatedly targeted hospitals in the Strip, saying Hamas militants use them to store weapons, lead operations and hide hostages.
As of January 3, before the discharge from Al-Aqsa Hospital, only 13 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization – nine in the south and four in the north.
in statement WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Sunday that only five doctors remained at Al-Aqsa Hospital to treat the wounded, with no food, scant medical supplies and no guarantee that they would be protected from any attack.
He wrote on X, previously Twitter, that the World Health Organization “received alarming reports of increasing hostilities and ongoing evacuation orders near the vital Al-Aqsa Hospital.” He added that a team from the World Health Organization visited the hospital on Sunday and “saw disgusting scenes of people of all ages receiving treatment on blood-stained floors and in chaotic corridors.”
Bob Kitchen, the International Rescue Committee's vice president for emergencies and humanitarian work, told the Washington Post that the International Rescue Committee and Palestinian Medical Aid decided to withdraw their joint emergency medical team from Al-Aqsa Hospital after “fighting broke out in the area.” 'Hotter and hotter' Bullets penetrated the doctors' room and intensive care unit last week.
“We were able to get to the end of that day, but it was clear… that the Israelis had put the hospital in the red zone and were heading south,” he said.
The IDF press office said it was “verifying” reports that fighting and shelling in the nearby area forced civilians and medical workers to flee Al-Aqsa Hospital.
Also on Monday, the Israeli army announced that it had “exterminated” Hassan Hakasha, a Hamas activist in Beit Jinn in southern Syria. In a statement, the Israeli army described Al-Hakasha as “a central figure responsible for the rockets fired by Hamas from Syrian territory towards Israel in recent weeks.”
No further details were provided about the operation, including whether he was killed in an air strike.
It is rare for Israel to publicly acknowledge launching attacks or targeted killings in other countries. But Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Monday that Israel was responsible for the killing of a Hezbollah commander in southern Lebanon.
Earlier today, Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group in Lebanon, announced the killing of one of its leaders – Wissam Hassan Al-Tawil.
“We have prepared ourselves to be able to fight on all fronts,” Katz said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14.
“With regard to the strike in southern Lebanon, we took responsibility for eliminating the acting commander of the Radwan Force,” he said, referring to Hezbollah’s special forces unit.
So far, 135 Hezbollah members have been killed since October 7, according to a Washington Post tally. The armed group told the newspaper that the Israeli bombing also killed at least 19 Hezbollah members in neighboring Syria.
In two speeches last week, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that waging war on Lebanon would be “very, very costly.”
Daadoush reported from Beirut, Harb from London, and Hudson from AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Muhammad Al-Shamaa in Beirut, Steve Hendricks in Jerusalem, and Hazem Baalousha in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.
