Hospital in northern Gaza faces ‘constant daily threat’ from Israeli strikes, director says

A staff member at a hospital in northern Gaza is raising the alarm as the building faces Israeli bombardment “from all directions” after being ordered to evacuate while ceasefire talks continue.

One of the few hospitals still partially functioning in Gaza is located in an area that has been under intense Israeli military pressure for nearly three months. It sought emergency help after being hit by Israeli fire.

“We are facing a continuous daily threat,” Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said on Monday. “Bombardment continues from all directions, affecting the building, departments and staff.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, at least 11 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the enclave on Monday, medics said.

The Palestinians accuse Israel of seeking to permanently depopulate northern Gaza to create a buffer zone, which Israel denies.

Israel says its operation around the three communities on the northern edge of the Gaza Strip – Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia – is aimed at Hamas militants.

Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian aid chief, said Israeli forces had hampered efforts to deliver much-needed aid to northern Gaza.

“Northern Gaza has been under almost total siege for more than two months, creating the specter of famine,” he said on Monday.

“Southern Gaza is extremely overcrowded, creating appalling living conditions and even greater humanitarian needs as winter approaches.”

Gaps appear to be narrowing in the truce deal

Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible ceasefire in Gaza have narrowed, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Monday, although key differences have yet to be resolved.

A new proposal by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States to end the fighting and release Israeli and foreign hostages gained momentum this month, although no breakthrough has yet been reported.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that progress had been made in ongoing hostage talks with Hamas in Gaza, but that he did not know how much longer it would take to see results.

During a speech in Israel’s Knesset, Netanyahu said Israel had made “great achievements” militarily on several fronts and that military pressure on Hamas had led its leaders to soften their previous demands.

The prime minister, amid jeers from opposition members, said Israel had cemented its position as a “regional power”.

A Palestinian official familiar with the talks said that while some points of contention have been resolved, the identities of some of the Palestinian prisoners Israel will release in exchange for hostages have yet to be agreed, as has the exact deployment of Israeli troops in Gaza.

The duration of the cease-fire was a major sticking point during several rounds of failed negotiations. Hamas wants an end to the war, while Israel wants an end to Hamas rule over Gaza first.

“The issue of a complete end to the war has not yet been decided,” the Palestinian official said.

The war was sparked by the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. against southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli figures.

Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. Most of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.