Residents in central Gaza reported intense bombardments as Israel carried out an operation to rescue four hostages held since Oct. 7.
Health authorities and Palestinian media reported that scores of people had been killed. Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, estimated the number of casualties to be under 100. It wasn’t clear how many were civilians and how many were militants.
Khalil Daqran, a spokesman for Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital in Deir al-Balah, said that large numbers of dead were arriving at the medical facility, the last major medical center in central Gaza. It was not possible to verify the exact death toll.
Ambulances and emergency services in central Gaza were unable to respond to many of the calls to transport the wounded to hospitals, the Gazan health ministry said.
Video from inside Al Aqsa hospital shared by the ministry showed chaotic scenes as medical staff struggled to treat bloodied victims laying side by side on the floor. Two men held up intravenous bags while next to them a wounded person, whose face was bandaged, writhed in pain under a blanket.