Israel-Hamas war: Fighting in central Gaza near hospital as Blinken seeks post-war plan

Palestinians evacuate wounded after an Israeli strike hit a building next to the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, January 10, 2023. Photo / AP

Israeli military operations in Gaza are focused on the southern city of Khan Younis and urban refugee camps in the territory’s centre. Hundreds of people have been killed in recent days in strikes across the territory, including in areas of the far south where Israel told people to seek refuge.

A heavy strike brought down a two-storey building in the central city of Deir al-Balah, close to its main Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, killing at least 20 people, according to hospital officials. A strike killed six people in an ambulance near Deir al-Balah, including four crew, a medical aid group said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is on a whirlwind trip to the Middle East, seeking to rally the region behind postwar plans for Gaza. Blinken spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about a reformed Palestinian Authority governing Gaza once the war is over. Blinken then flew to Manama, the capital of the tiny Gulf nation of Bahrain.

Hamas’ October 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel triggered the war and killed around 1200 people, and militants took some 250 others hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

UN says Israeli bombing could collapse health care in Gaza

UN humanitarian officials report that intense Israeli bombing in Gaza is causing more casualties and destruction of critical civilian facilities. The officials warn that health services could collapse in the cities of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis, where fighting has intensified.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Amman, Jordan. Photo / AP

“The ongoing hostilities in Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis - coupled with evacuation orders in nearby areas - are putting three hospitals at the risk of closures: Al-Aqsa, Nasser and the Gaza European hospital,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday.

The UN’s humanitarian partners report that “just one-fifth of the 5000 beds needed to meet trauma and emergency needs in Gaza are available,” he said. They also report that more than three-quarters of the 77 primary health centres are not functioning.

“Some 350,000 people with chronic illnesses and about 485,000 people with mental health disorders continue to experience disruptions in their treatments in Gaza,” Dujarric said.

Some 1.9 million displaced people are at risk of communicable diseases because of poor living conditions, overcrowded shelters, and lack of access to proper water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.