RAFAH, Gaza Strip: Palestinians have begun evacuating the main hospital in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, according to videos shared by medics on Wednesday.
Weeks of heavy fighting had isolated the medical facility and claimed the lives of several people inside it.
The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its fifth month, has devastated Gaza’s health sector, with less than half of its hospitals even partially functioning as scores of people are killed and wounded in daily bombardments. Israel accuses the militants of using hospitals and other civilian buildings as cover.
Khan Younis is the main target of a rolling ground offensive that Israel has said will soon be expanded to Gaza’ southernmost city of Rafah. Some 1.4 million people — over half the territory’s population — are crammed into tent camps and overflowing apartments and shelters in the town on the Egyptian border.
The United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel, has been working with Qatar and Egypt to try and broker a ceasefire and the return of the remaining 130 hostages, around a fourth of whom are believed to be dead.
The negotiators held talks in Cairo on Tuesday that were attended by CIA chief William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, but there were no signs of a breakthrough. Israeli media reported on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his delegation not to return to the talks unless Hamas softens its demands.
Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until “total victory” over Hamas and the return of all the hostages.
Hamas has said it will not release all the captives until Israel ends its offensive, withdraws from Gaza and releases a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants. Netanyahu has rejected those demands, calling them “delusional.”
In northern Israel, meanwhile, a rocket attack wounded at least eight people on Wednesday when one of the projectiles hit a home in the town of Safed. Israeli media reported that a woman was killed in the attack, but the military did not immediately confirm the reports.
Israel carried out airstrikes in southern Lebanon in response, killing four people, including a Syrian woman and her two Lebanese children, and wounding at least nine, Lebanese security officials and local media said.
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which supports Hamas, have traded fire along the border nearly every day since the start of the war in Gaza, raising the risk of a wider conflict. Hezbollah did not immediately claim responsibility for the rocket attack.
The videos of the evacuation in Khan Younis showed dozens of Palestinians carrying their belongings in sacks and making their way out of the Nasser Hospital complex. A doctor wearing green hospital scrubs walked ahead of the crowd, some of whom were carrying white flags.
The Israeli military said it had opened a secure route to allow civilians to leave the hospital, while medics and patients could remain inside. Troops have been ordered to “prioritize the safety of civilians, patients, medical workers, and medical facilities during the operation,” it said.
The military had ordered the evacuation of the hospital and surrounding areas last month. But as with other health facilities, medics said patients were unable to safely leave or be relocated, and thousands of people displaced by fighting elsewhere remained there. Palestinians say nowhere is safe in the besieged territory, as Israel continues to carry out strikes in all parts of it.
The Gaza Health Ministry said last week that Israeli snipers on surrounding buildings were preventing people from entering or leaving the hospital. It said 10 people have been killed inside the complex over the past week, including three shot and killed on Tuesday.
The ministry says around 300 medical staff were treating some 450 patients, including people wounded in strikes. It says 10,000 displaced people were sheltering in the facility.
The war erupted after Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 captive. Over 100 hostages were released during a weeklong ceasefire in November in return for 240 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.
Israel responded to the attack by launching one of the deadliest and most destructive air and ground offensives in recent history. At least 28,576 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
That includes over 100 bodies brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours. Over 68,000 people have been wounded in the war, including around 11,000 in need of evacuation for urgent treatment, according to the ministry.
Around 80 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes, large areas in northern Gaza have been completely destroyed and a humanitarian crisis has left a quarter of the population starving.
Displaced Palestinians leave one of Gaza’s main hospitals after weeks of being isolated by fighting
https://arab.news/44bvq
Displaced Palestinians leave one of Gaza’s main hospitals after weeks of being isolated by fighting
- Weeks of heavy fighting had isolated the medical facility and claimed the lives of several people inside it
- Israel accuses the militants of using hospitals and other civilian buildings as cover
Security, economic and political partnerships in the spotlight at first Jordan-EU Summit
- Event reflects international confidence in Jordan as a reliable partner in efforts to address security threats, advance peace initiatives, and expand cooperation, analysts say
- Timing is significant, expert says, given the region faces overlapping crises and threats that place security and defense cooperation at the heart of Jordanian-European relations
AMMAN: The inaugural Jordan-EU Summit underlined the depth of the country’s strategic partnership with Europe, officials and experts said, and confirmed the pivotal role Jordan plays in regional security, political stability and economic cooperation.
Analysts told the Jordan News Agency that Thursday’s summit took place at a sensitive moment for the region, but reflected international confidence in Jordan as a reliable partner in efforts to address cross-border security threats, advance peace initiatives, and expand cooperation in trade, investment and development.
Bashir Al-Dajeh, an expert in security and strategy, said the timing of the summit was significant, given the region is facing overlapping crises and transnational threats that place security and defense cooperation at the heart of Jordanian-European relations.
Jordan’s strategic location positions it on the front lines of efforts to tackle illegal migration, organized crime, drug and arms smuggling and cross-border terrorism, he added. The country has hosted more than 3.5 million refugees over the past decade without compromising its security infrastructure, he noted.
Jordan’s effective border controls were helping to curb irregular migration to Europe and disrupting the plans of extremist groups and trafficking networks, Al-Dajeh said, which was directly benefiting regional and European security.
Khaled Abu Hassan, a member of the Jordanian parliament, said the country’s foreign policy under King Abdullah had reinforced its influence, in the region and internationally, particularly its firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause and a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel.
He said the summit reaffirmed Jordan’s political influence in the shaping of regional balances and advancement of efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace. The timing of the meeting also demonstrated the resilience of the nation in managing multiple regional and domestic challenges.
Abu Hassan also highlighted the economic aspects of the summit, including the announcement of a Jordan-EU economic conference in April, as a sign of the international recognition of Jordan’s political and economic role.
Economist Mufleh Aql said the high-level summit reflected a shared desire for a broadening of cooperation to encompass politics, trade, security and renewable energy, and Jordan was well-placed to benefit from access to the EU’s large markets, technology and investment opportunities.
The country could benefit from increased exports, technology transfers and financing for major infrastructure projects in sectors such as water, transport and energy, he added, and in return offer the EU skilled human capital amid labor shortages in Europe.
EU support for Jordan’s positions on issues such as Jerusalem, regional stability, energy and migration further strengthens the partnership, Aql said. Jordan also already benefits from EU grants, concessional loans and exports of agricultural, pharmaceutical and chemical products to European markets, he noted.
