War/ Israeli strikes kill 15 people in Gaza, health officials say

2024-11-20 10:31:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Israeli forces killed at least 15 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, including a rescue worker, health officials said.

Doctors said at least 12 people were killed by an Israeli attack on a house in Jabaliya, northern Gaza, on Wednesday morning. They said about 10 people are missing and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Another man was killed by tank attacks nearby, they said.

In Sabra on the outskirts of Gaza City, the Palestinian civil emergency said an Israeli strike hit one of its teams during a rescue operation, killing one staff member and injuring three others.

Israel has not yet commented on these two attacks.

In Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, medics said a man was killed and several others wounded by an Israeli airstrike in the eastern part of the city.

Residents in Jaballia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanun, where the Israeli army has been operating since early last month, said Israeli forces demolished dozens of homes in the three areas, raising fears that Israel is seeking to clear the area of ??residents to create a security zone, something Israel denies.

Israel has said it has sent forces to the two towns and the refugee camp to fight militants from Hamas, the group designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. The aim, according to Israel, is to deter their attacks and prevent them from regrouping.

The Israeli army says it has killed hundreds of them since October 5.

The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claim to have killed many Israeli soldiers during the same period.

Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of three struggling medical facilities in the north of the enclave, said the hospital was attacked by the Israeli army on Tuesday.

During a visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas will not rule the Palestinian enclave after the war is over and that Israel has destroyed the Islamist group's military capabilities.

Qatar, a key broker for the ceasefire along with Egypt, said it has notified Hamas and Israel that it will withdraw from mediation if both warring parties do not show "will and seriousness" to reach an agreement.

Hamas wants a deal that ends the war, while Netanyahu has promised that the war can only end once Hamas is rooted out.

The war was sparked when Hamas fighters entered southern Israel on October 7, 2023 and killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250 others.

Since then, Israel's retaliation has devastated Gaza, killing more than 44,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.