Israeli strikes kill 17 Palestinians in Gaza, orders hospital to evacuate

22/12/2024 17:03

Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians, eight of them at a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City, medics said, as the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of a hospital in the north.



Palestinian medics said eight people, including children, were killed in the Musa Bin Nusayr School that sheltered displaced families in Gaza City.



The Israeli military said in a statement the strike targeted Hamas militants operating from a command centre embedded inside the school. It said Hamas militants used the place to plan and execute attacks against Israeli forces.



Also in Gaza City, medics said four Palestinians were killed when an airstrike hit a car.



At least five other Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis south of the enclave.



Palestinians have accused Israel of carrying out acts of "ethnic cleansing" to depopulate those areas to create a buffer zone.



Israel denies this and says the campaign in the area aimed to fight Hamas militants and prevent them from regrouping. It said its forces have killed hundreds of militants and dismantled military infrastructure since that operation began.