Israel committed 16 massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in the killing of 163 Palestinians and injuring 350 in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The latest attacks bring the overall toll in Gaza to 24,448 killed and 61,504 injured since October 7.
The Jordanian army said on Wednesday its military field hospital in the city of Khan Younis in Gaza was badly damaged as a result of Israeli shelling in the vicinity.
In a statement, the army said it held Israel responsible for a “flagrant breach of international law”.
Israeli tanks, which reached meters away from the Jordanian field hospital near the Nasser hospital, retreated on Wednesday morning, according to eyewitnesses. Residents say a cemetery in the Austrian district was razed in their wake, with bodies stolen by soldiers.
Telecommunication services in Gaza have remained shut down for the fifth consecutive day, since 12 January. This is the seventh time that communications have stopped working since 7 October.
The blackout of telecommunications deprives people in Gaza from accessing lifesaving information, preventing people from calling for first responders and impedes other forms of humanitarian response.
WHO reported that the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis treated 700 patients, double its normal capacity, requiring patients to receive treatment on the floor. The hospital continues to receive a high volume of trauma and burn cases while the intensive care unit (ICU) and burns unit are severely understaffed, delaying lifesaving treatment.
About 7,000 people are reportedly sheltering on the hospital grounds. The intensification of hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital are obstructing access for patients and health workers, endangering their lives and further eroding hospital functionality. On 15 January, the vicinity of the hospital was struck, reportedly killing eight people, and injuring scores of others.
