Israel said that Hamas has lost control of Gaza City and its fighters were fleeing south, as fighting raged on Monday, more than five weeks after Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack sparked a furious response from Israel which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militant group.
Hospitals ‘Out of Service’
The Deputy Health Minister in the Gaza Strip, Youssef Abu Rish, told the media on Monday that all hospitals in the north of the territory are “out of service,” amid fuel shortages and intense combat.
Abu Rish said that seven premature babies and 27 patients died in recent days in Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, the Palestinian territory’s largest.
The hospital has been at the center of intense fighting between Israel, which claims that Hamas militants are hiding in tunnels beneath it. Hamas denies the accusation.
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UNRWA Risks Paralysis
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on Monday that its Gaza operations might shut down due to fuel shortages.
Gaza has been under near-total Israeli siege and is short of food, fuel and other basic supplies.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the European Union and the United Nations on Monday to “parachute aid” into Gaza.
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Netanyahu Evokes Hostage Deal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told US media that a deal could be afoot to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, but declined to provide details for fear of scuttling the potential plan.
A Palestinian official in Gaza, however, blamed Netanyahu “for the delay and obstacles in reaching a preliminary agreement on the release of several prisoners.”
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel and around 240 hostages taken, according to Israeli officials. In Gaza, more than 11,100 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed, according to health officials in the Hamas-run territory.
Military Endeavors
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that Hamas does not possess the ability to deter Israel’s military, adding that Israeli troops have intensified their operations against Hamas’ tunnels in Gaza.
“Hamas has lost control of Gaza. Terrorists are fleeing south, civilians are looting Hamas bases,” he said, without providing evidence for the looting claim.
Gallant stated that “each day” Israel kills more Hamas members, adding that Israel’s army continues to operate “in the heart of Gaza City.”
Regional Escalation
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where deadly violence surged in tandem with the Israel-Hamas war, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that Issa al-Qadi, a 66-year-old taxi driver, was shot dead by Israeli forces in Hebron.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
And in eastern Syria, at least eight pro-Iran fighters were killed in US strikes, a war monitor said on Monday.
Washington, Israel’s ally, said that it carried out raids on Sunday in response to attacks on American forces, which have increased across the region since the war in Gaza erupted.
