9 Palestinians killed in Israeli shelling on Gaza

At least nine people were killed on Saturday in Israeli shelling on the Gaza Strip, reported Xinhua, quoting Palestinian sources.

Israeli warplanes targeted in the morning a gathering of Palestinians west of the al-Shati refugee camp, said Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Civil Defense in Gaza.

Basal told Xinhua that seven people were killed and some others injured in the strike, all of whom were taken to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

Medical workers also recovered a body and a number of wounded persons after an Israeli airstrike on a house in the vicinity of al-Ta'min school in central Gaza, according to Basal.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza's Rafah, medics told Xinhua that a Palestinian was killed by an Israeli drone in the Khirbet al-Adas area, north of the city.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported the Israeli army has been blowing up residential buildings in the al-Janina neighborhood, east of Rafah, since morning hours.

The Israeli army has not commented on these incidents.

Also on Saturday, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, warned of the seriousness of the situation inside the hospital.

"Shells landed Friday on the third floor and at the doors. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. However, it caused terror and fear among the wounded and children," Abu Safiya said.

"Until now, we have not received all the necessary electricity, water, and oxygen supplies," he complained.

Abu Safiya noted that the Israeli army "has not agreed to allow the entry of all the required medical supplies, and medical staff are prevented from entering."

He urged the international community to facilitate the rapid entry of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, surgical instruments, and medics, to continue providing services to the wounded and sick in northern Gaza.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,227, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian man was shot dead on Saturday by the Israeli army in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian sources.

In a statement, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said its workers have transported the body of the 37-year-old man from the village of Faqoua, east of Jenin, to the hospital.

Barakat al-Omari, head of the village's council, told Xinhua that the victim, identified as Hussein Khaddour, was shot near the separation barrier built on the village's lands. The Israeli army shot him in the abdomen and left him bleeding until he died.

Also on Saturday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced in a statement that Mohammad al-Rashaydeh, a seven-year-old boy, was killed by a mine left behind by the Israeli army in the southeast of Bethlehem, where the child was herding sheep with his father this morning.

There were no immediate Israeli comments on these incidents.

The West Bank has been witnessing an escalation of tension since Oct. 7, 2023, with more than 800 Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire and shelling across the territory, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.