Four Gaza patients dead as oxygen cut off during Israel raid on Nasser hospital, doctors say - latest
Rafah in southern Gaza was also hit by Israeli airstrikes ahead of a planned ground invasion into the city
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
At least four patients in intensive care died because their oxygen supply was cut off when Israeli troops stormed Gaza’s main hospital, according to the doctors.
Israeli special forces have stormed the last major hospital in southern Gaza, with the military saying it is a limited operation to seeking the remains of hostages taken by Hamas.
The raid came a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands of displaced people who had taken shelter at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The southern city has been the main target of Israel's offensive against Hamas in recent weeks. The military said it had "credible intelligence" that Hamas had held hostages at the hospital and that the remains of hostages might still be inside.
This comes after the UN warned that an Israeli ground invasion into Rafah could lead to slaughter as more tha one million Palestinians shelter there.
UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned offensive could leave an “already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door.”
France to impose travel bans on violent Israeli settlers
France will ban 28 Israeli settlers from entering the country, accusing them of attacking Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
“These measures come as violence perpetrated by settlers against the Palestinian population has increased in recent months. France reaffirms its firm condemnation of this unacceptable violence,” the ministry said in a statement.
It did not name the individuals.
UN figures show that daily settler attacks have more than doubled since Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing assault on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
While much international attention has focused on that cross-border assault and Israel’s subsequent war there, European officials have also expressed increasing concern about rising violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
The United States and Britain have expressed similar concerns and have already imposed sanctions on several settlers whom they say are responsible for violence.
Voices: The killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza should shame us all
If every war has a tipping point, the death of little Hind Rajab should be it.
The six-year-old was killed in Gaza City by what undeniably looks like Israeli gunfire, while trapped in a car, surrounded by the bodies of her dead relatives.
An ambulance that had reportedly received permission to rescue Hind from the unthinkable scene was also fired on. Two paramedics lost their lives. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has accused Israel of deliberately targeting them.
Israel has not released an official statement regarding Hind, her family, or the deaths of the paramedics – naysayers will argue that we can’t possibly attribute culpability; that we don’t know what really happened.
But all too often, the simplest explanation is the right one. And the facts speak for themselves, no matter which way you look at it: a little girl died, alone and terrified, in unimaginable circumstances. Her death shames us all.
Victoria Richards writes:
The killing of six-year-old Hind Rajab in Gaza shames us all | Victoria Richards
We must make sure this little girl’s horrific final moments – alone in a car, surrounded by the bodies of her relatives – is not yet another tragedy that is barely noticed and quickly forgotten. Let her death be the tipping point of this terrible war, writes Victoria Richards
Some Palestinians leave Rafah refuge, fearing Israeli assault
Some of the Palestinian people who fled their homes in Gaza for the safety of Rafah have been forced to flee once again as Israel launches an airstrike on the region.
Nahla Jarwan fled her home in the central Gaza Strip to seek refuge in Rafah - like more than 1 million other Palestinians escaping Israel’s military offensive.
She is one of dozens of people who residents said were leaving Rafah on Tuesday after Israeli shelling and air strikes in recent days.
“I fled Al-Maghazi, came to Rafah, and here I am, returning to Al-Maghazi,” said Jarwan, referring to the refugee camp from which she fled earlier in the conflict.n“Last night in Rafah was very tough. We’re going back to Al-Maghazi out of fear - displaced from one area to another; hopefully Al-Maghazi area would safe, God willing.”
She added: “Wherever we go, there is no safety.”
Three Palestinians killed by Israeli sniper fire on Gazan hospital
At least three Palestinians were killed and 10 others injured by Israeli sniper fire on Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex since Tuesday afternoon, the Palestinian health ministry said in a statement.
Rafah invasion could ‘lead to slaughter’, UN warns
The United Nations on Tuesday warned against an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, saying an offensive could “lead to a slaughter” in the southern region of the Palestinian enclave where more than 1 million people are sheltering.
Israel says it wants to flush out Hamas militants from hideouts in Rafah and free Israeli hostages being held there, and is making plans to evacuate trapped Palestinian civilians.
“Military operations in Rafah could lead to a slaughter in Gaza. They could also leave an already fragile humanitarian operation at death’s door,” said U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths. “We lack the safety guarantees, the aid supplies and the staff capacity to keep this operation afloat.
“The international community has been warning against the dangerous consequences of any ground invasion in Rafah. The Government of Israel cannot continue to ignore these calls,” he said in a statement.
US Senate approves $95bn aid for Ukraine and Israel in pre-dawn vote
US Senate approves $95bn aid for Ukraine and Israel in pre-dawn vote
House speaker Mike Johnson appears to be obeying Donald Trump’s command not to allow the bill to receive a vote in the lower chamber
South Africa asks UN court to urgently examine Israel's targeting of Rafah
South Africa asks UN court to urgently examine Israel's targeting of Rafah in ongoing genocide case
The South African government says it has lodged an “urgent request” with the U.N.’s International Court of Justice to consider whether Israel’s military operations targeting the southern Gaza city of Rafah are a breach of provisional orders the court handed down last month in a case alleging genocide
Netanyahu will not move into Rafah ‘if Hamas surrender’
Netanyahu will not move into Rafah ‘if Hamas surrender’, says Israel spokesperson
An Israel spokesperson has said Benjamin Netanyahu will not move into Rafah “if Hamas surrenders.” Orly Goldschmidt, a diplomat for Israel’s UK embassy, spoke to Sky News on Tuesday morning (13 February). “If Hamas surrenders, then Netanyahu will not move. Netanyahu has no problem with Rafah, his problem and our problem is with Hamas terrorists.” Israeli airstrikes hit southern Gaza on Sunday night, killing over 100 Palestinians, according to local health officials. Rafah is a refuge for around one million displaced civilians who have sought refuge from Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage release talks, officials say
Israel and Hamas are making progress in cease-fire and hostage release talks, officials say
Two officials say Israel and Hamas are making progress toward a deal that aims to bring about a cease-fire and free hostages held in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip
Why Israel’s assault on Rafah could mean the worst is yet to come: ‘We have nowhere left to go’
‘We have no where left to go’: Israel assault on Rafah
The bombardment killed at least 67 Palestinians, including women and children, says health ministry in Gaza
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies