Gaza officials: 11 killed in Israeli strike near Rafah hospital

A paramedic was killed and children injured in an explosion near an Emirati maternity hospital, according to a statement issued by Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Hamas health ministry.

“Eleven citizens were killed and around 50 were injured, including children, when Israeli forces targeted the tents of displaced persons near the Emirates Hospital,” Al Qudra said.

The Israeli military said it was investigating the incident.

Videos posted on social media, which the AFP news agency could not independently verify, showed bloodied bodies in the streets, a crowd gathered and men carrying the wounded.

An AFP journalist saw the injured being taken on stretchers to a Kuwaiti hospital, also in Rafah.

“Everything is being destroyed everywhere and there are many martyrs,” said Belal Abu Jekhleh, a resident of Rafah.

“Suddenly, the windows broke and a fire broke out. All escaped, some were tortured, others wounded. I was injured in my hands and head and my brother was also injured,” he added.

Since the Israeli military launched its offensive in the Palestinian territory, it has carried out numerous operations in and around hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals as bases for terrorist activities, but the Palestinian group denies this.

About 1.5 million people found refuge in Rafa. Palestinians, and there are fears of mass casualties if Israel carries out its promised full-scale invasion of the city.

Mediators hope to reach an agreement on a six-week ceasefire by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 10.

The war in Gaza was sparked by an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, which killed around 1,160 people in the Jewish state, mostly civilians, according to an AFP assessment based on official figures.

Hamas militants have also taken about 250 hostages, and Israel says there are still about 130 hostages in the Gaza Strip, at least 31 of whom are believed to have been killed.

After vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched a massive military offensive that has killed at least 30,320 people, mostly women and children, in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s Health Ministry.