Battles Intensify in South Gaza Amid Heavy Rain Affecting Displaced Residents Further North, Reports Reuters

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Fadi Shana

DOHA/GAZA – On Saturday, Israel continued its military operations against Hamas in the Khan Younis area of Gaza, while adverse weather conditions affected displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in the northern parts of the heavily impacted region.

Residents reported intense aerial and tank fire across Khan Younis, a southern Gaza area that has become the epicenter of Israel’s ground offensive against Hamas, particularly around two major hospitals. Hamas claimed that its fighters launched an anti-tank missile at an Israeli tank in southwest Khan Younis.

The Israeli military stated it had killed at least 11 gunmen attempting to deploy explosives near Israeli troops and those firing rifles and rocket-propelled grenades. In the past week, the military reported that commandos had killed over 100 militants during operations to locate weapons stockpiles.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, allied with Hamas, announced its fighters were actively engaged with Israeli forces in the area and had targeted Israel with rocket fire.

The Gaza Health Ministry indicated that Israeli strikes had targeted locations near Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital, with one fatality reported in the courtyard of the latter, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra noted that the ongoing bombardment was jeopardizing healthcare access and endangering the lives of medical staff, patients, and displaced individuals.

Israel’s military claimed it has been in regular contact with hospital managements by phone and directly on-site to ensure their operations continue. Israel maintains that Hamas utilizes medical facilities for military purposes, a claim that Hamas denies.

In a ruling on Friday, the World Court did not mandate a ceasefire but requested that Israel take steps to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and enhance protections for civilians. Following the ruling, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed that the military campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas would persist.

In the southern city of Rafah, Zainab Khalil, 57, who has been displaced multiple times with her family and is currently sheltered near the Egyptian border, expressed her belief that, while the court’s ruling is significant, it does not suffice. "We want a ceasefire now," she urged.

Israel initiated its offensive following a Hamas attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 253 individuals. According to Gaza health authorities, as of Saturday, approximately 26,257 Palestinians have died and nearly 65,000 have been injured, with a reported 174 fatalities in the last 24 hours. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced.

Israel reported 220 soldier fatalities since the ground offensive began and asserted that it has eliminated at least 9,000 militants in Gaza, a figure that Hamas contests.

Reports from residents and militants indicated ongoing clashes in the central and northern regions of Gaza on Saturday, where severe rainfall had flooded the tents of displaced individuals, compelling some to seek alternative shelter at night.

Additionally, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees announced it has launched an investigation into several employees suspected of involvement in the October 7 Hamas attacks, resulting in the severing of ties with those personnel.

The Palestinian foreign ministry criticized what it described as an Israeli campaign against the UN agency, while Hamas condemned the termination of employee contracts as being based on "information derived from the Zionist enemy."

In Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s populace is currently seeking refuge in shelters and tents, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that Israeli airstrikes had resulted in the deaths of three individuals in a house.

In the occupied West Bank, residents reported the death of one man following an exchange of gunfire with Israeli forces near Jenin.