Israeli tanks pulled back from parts of central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp Friday as Palestinian medics reported at least 30 people killed in overnight strikes, including 19 in the camp itself.
While some Israeli forces withdrew, tanks remained active in the camp’s western sector, preventing Palestinian Civil Emergency Service teams from reaching residents trapped in their homes. The Israeli military, which said Thursday its forces were continuing to “strike terror targets” in Gaza, did not immediately comment on the latest operations.
In a separate incident Friday, medics reported an Israeli drone strike killed Ahmed Al-Kahlout, head of the Intensive Care Unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya. Hospital officials told Reuters Al-Kahlout was struck by a missile while walking through the hospital gate, days after the facility’s director and 12 other medical staff were wounded in similar attacks.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is among three northern Gaza medical facilities barely functioning due to critical shortages. Health officials said Israeli forces had either detained or expelled most of its medical staff.
The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini reported Thursday that Israel’s seven-week northern Gaza offensive has displaced approximately 130,000 people. Israeli forces operating in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and Beit Hanoun since October 5 say they aim to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping, while residents report systematic depopulation of these areas.
Israeli authorities released about 30 Palestinians previously detained during the offensive, with freed detainees arriving at a southern Gaza hospital for medical examinations. Released Palestinians have alleged torture and mistreatment in Israeli detention, claims Israel denies.
The Gaza health ministry reports nearly 44,300 Palestinians killed and most of the territory’s population displaced at least once during Israel’s campaign, launched after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages in their October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.
reuters
