Israel-Hamas war: Humanitarian situation worsens in Gaza Strip, Israeli army blocks access to two hospitals
An Israeli tank advance on Khan Younes, the main city in the south of the Gaza Strip, cut off access to two hospitals this Monday, January 22, worsening the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, which “couldn’t be worse,” according to. Head of European Diplomacy.
The Israeli army last week intensified its offensive against Khan Younes, considered the headquarters of Palestinian Hamas.
The new phase of the war, which began on October 7 after a Hamas attack on the Jewish state, is of unprecedented intensity according to residents who have faced air, ground and naval bombardment.
At least 25,295 people – out of a population of 2.3 million – have been killed in the enclave since October 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In the towns of Deir al-Balah and Rafah, north and south of Khan Yunis, the majority of civilians are now gathered in very precarious conditions.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said it had lost contact with its staff at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, the organization’s main facility, with Israeli tanks stationed outside. Further west, Israeli tanks reached the Al-Mawasi district on the Mediterranean coast for the first time, blocking access to Al-Khair Hospital and positioning themselves around Al-Aqsa University.
Still no agreement on hostages
Nasser Hospital, the only main one accessible to Khan Younes and the largest still operating in Gaza, is overwhelmed with wounded, according to witnesses. Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement that dozens of dead and wounded were in areas targeted by Israeli troops.
Humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip “can’t be bad”, EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again, on Sunday and Monday, ruled out any deal with Hamas to free hostages still held in Gaza, insisting the Palestinian movement had not reached a deal. “Real proposition”.
The head of Hamas’s political wing in exile, Sami al-Zuhri, told Reuters on Monday that the organization was open. “All initiatives and proposals, but any agreement must be based on aggression and business end” From Gaza.
In Israel, a group of hostage families, the Hostage and Missing Persons Families Forum, demanded in a statement that Benjamin Netanyahu “Clearly stating that we will not release the civilians, soldiers and others abducted during the October debacle.” The head of the Israeli government said on Sunday that he rejected the terms “Hamas Monsters”.
