Israeli army kills 200 Palestinians, arrests 1,000 in Gaza hospital

The Israeli army has killed over 200 people and arrested around 1,000 others in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in northern Gaza, reported Xinhua, quoting the Hamas-run media office on Thursday.

The office said in a statement that the Israeli army continued committing "crimes" against those inside the complex and in its vicinity, with available information indicating "the army's execution of more than 200 displaced citizens and arrest of around 1,000 others."

Citing testimonies from some survivors, the statement said tanks shelled many buildings, while the Israeli troops continued bombing and destroying houses over the heads of their inhabitants in the surrounding area.

The office held Israel and the U.S. administration as "active partners in this aggression against the complex and the medical staff, the wounded and sick, and the displaced civilians inside."

On the other hand, Israeli public radio said the army forces and the Shin Bet security service continue fighting in the Al-Shifa Hospital area, where the combat teams killed about 200 militants.

On Wednesday, militants emerged from the emergency room at the hospital and opened fire on Israeli forces operating in the area, according to the radio.

The hospital, once Gaza's largest medical facility, is now one of the few medical centers that still functioning in the enclave. It has also served as a shelter for displaced Palestinians since the Gaza conflict began last October.

Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.