Israel’s war on Gaza updates: Patients flee Nasser Hospital under fire
Palestinians receiving treatment at besieged Khan Younis medical complex say Israeli army ordered evacuation.
- The Israeli army enters Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis with heavy tank and machine gun fire, forcing everyone inside to evacuate and flee for their lives.
- Rafah exodus begins as Israel’s military steps up air raids and artillery fire before a feared ground operation on the southern city once designated a “safe zone”.
- The Israeli army enters Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis with heavy tank and machine gun fire, forcing everyone inside to evacuate and flee for their lives.
- Rafah exodus begins as Israel’s military steps up air raids and artillery fire before a feared ground operation on the southern city once designated a “safe zone”.
- Israel “must listen to its friends and the international community” saying civilians cannot be made to “pay the price of defeating Hamas”, leaders of Australia, New Zealand and Canada say.
- Israel’s attacks on Gaza have killed at least 28,663 Palestinians and wounded 68,395 since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas-led attacks stands at 1,139.
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing the live blog soon. Here’s a review of the day’s main developments.
- The Israeli military raided Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, firing on the facility and expelling patients and medical workers from one of the last functional hospitals in Gaza. Israel has said it was searching for captives and fighters, while Hamas and medical groups have denied that armed groups utilise the facility for military functions.
- Hezbollah continued to exchange fire with Israel, launching several salvos of rockets towards the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.
- UNRWA has said that 17,000 Palestinian children have been separated from their parents in Gaza as a result of the war, underscoring the heavy toll that Israel’s assault has taken on Palestinian children.
- Yemen’s Houthi rebel group carried out further attacks on commercial vessels off the coast of Yemen, with the group’s leader praising the “big impact” that such operations have had over the last several months. The group says that the attacks are meant to exert pressure to end the war in Gaza.
Situation at Nasser Hospital ‘unbearable’: Norwegian doctor
Humanitarian advocate and physician Mads Gilbert says according to his contacts at Nasser Hospital, hundreds of patients and medical staff have been forcibly displaced by Israeli forces.
“Altogether, 600 people were forced by the occupation soldiers to move … to one of the three buildings, which is the oldest. There is only one elevator working. They had to carry patients by hand, carrying them on their backs. And now they are crammed in the narrow corridors of this building,” Gilbert, who has previously worked in Gaza, told Al Jazeera from Oslo.
“They say that the situation in the hospital for the patients and the staff … is unbearable. There are constant attacks.”
Gilbert shared a text message he received from the ground reporting “shooting and bombing everywhere” around the hospital.
“Please stop this madness, stop this war,” the message read. “This is a hospital facility, not a battlefield.”
WATCH: Meet Gaza’s fearless journalist and mother Noor Harazeen
Noor Harazeen has balanced reporting from Gaza and motherhood, making impossible choices as Israel unleashed its assault on the Strip after October 7.
Watch our video to see how she tells the world what’s happening on the ground in Gaza, and plans the best birthday party she can for her child.
WHO chief says health situation in Gaza ‘beyond words’
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the health situation in Gaza has deteriorated “beyond words”.
In an interview with the news outlet CNN, Ghebreyesus reiterated his call for a permanent ceasefire and said that conditions in Gaza are “hellish”.
“I reiterated our grave concern about a potential full-scale assault on Rafah, which would cause unimaginable suffering,” Ghebreyesus said in a social media post.
“I repeated our call for all parties to work for peace.”
The health situation in #Gaza is beyond words.
In my conversation with @BeckyCNN I reiterated our grave concern about a potential full-scale assault on Rafah, which would cause unimaginable suffering. I repeated our call for all parties to work for peace.pic.twitter.com/RhU8yfI94E
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 15, 2024
Media report: Biden spoke over the phone with Netanyahu
A report in the US media outlet Axios, citing the Israeli prime minister’s office, says that President Biden spoke with PM Netanyahu today, discussing topics such as the remaining captives, humanitarian aid for Gaza, and an anticipated Israeli operation in Rafah.
The report says that the call lasted for around 40 minutes, and comes amid growing tensions between Biden and Netanyahu. However, such frustrations have yet to translate into a more tangible shift in US policy, which remains firmly supportive of Israel’s campaign in Gaza despite growing calls for a ceasefire and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.
Aid distribution in Gaza’s north ‘nonexistent’: UNICEF official
Spokesperson Tess Ingram says while the agency has some access to southern Gaza to deliver aid, it is close to impossible to distribute aid in the north.
“Aid access to the north has basically been nonexistent since the beginning of this year. We haven’t received the safety assurances that we need to get into the north and provide aid there,” she told Al Jazeera.
“What we’re hearing from families on the ground in the north is that hunger is catastrophic and people are resorting to non-human foods to try and survive.”
Some of the most intense fighting since October 7 has taken place in the north, where more than 1.1 million people were ordered in mid-October to evacuate and move southwards as Israeli troops were advancing their ground offensive.
UN humanitarian chief expresses concern over Nasser Hospital raids
Martin Griffiths has expressed alarm over conditions at Nasser Hospital, which Israeli forces have shelled and raided over the last day.
Israeli forces told patients and staff to evacuate, but Palestinians have reported that Israeli sniper fire has made it dangerous to comply with the order. Israel has said it is searching for Palestinian fighters and captives at the facility.
“The wounded and sick, as well as medical personnel and facilities, must be protected,” Griffiths said in a statement.
“I said it before but it bears repeating: Hospitals must be places of greater safety, not of war,” he added.
I said it before but it bears repeating: Hospitals must be places of greater safety, not of war. pic.twitter.com/AdOtqLc5Oi
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) February 15, 2024
Two-state solution not a ‘gift’: US lawmaker
Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler says while Israel has the right to defend itself, the two-state solution is the only viable path to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“Long-run security will only come through an appropriately negotiated solution that involves rebuilding Gaza and establishing a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank with adequate security and governance plans,” he posted on X.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month said he was opposed to an independent Palestinian state, saying his country needed full security control over the Palestinian territories. Top US officials, including President Biden, have repeatedly affirmed their support of a two-state solution.
A two-state solution is not a “gift” – it is the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel must be able to defend itself, particularly after the horrors of October 7, but long-run security will only come through an appropriately negotiated solution that…
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) February 15, 2024
Hamas denies Israeli claims that group uses Nasser Hospital
Hamas has rejected the Israeli allegations, saying that they are a “new episode in the series of lies” that Israel is using to justify its war crimes and attacks on medical facilities in Gaza.
Israeli forces raided the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis today on the pretence that Hamas fighters and the Israeli captives they still hold are located inside. A spokesperson for the Israeli army said earlier that early searches of the hospital had not yielded evidence of the captives.
“We have repeatedly said that the policy of our Palestinian resistance was and remains to distance public and civilian institutions and the health sector from any military activity,” the group said in a statement.
“We have asked the United Nations and relevant organisations on several occasions to bring an international committee to examine the hospitals and prove that Israel’s narrative is a lie. But our demands have not been heard.”
Egypt appears to be preparing space in Sinai for displaced Palestinians: Report
The Washington Post reports that the Egyptian government appears to be preparing for the possibility of an influx of Palestinians pushed out of Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula if an anticipated Israeli assault on Rafah moves forward.
Some Israeli officials have promoted expelling Gaza’s population since the beginning of the war, but Israel’s allies, including the US, have warned that they would not support the forced displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza.
“Egyptian officials have threatened to suspend the countries’ 40-year peace accord if an attack on Rafah forces refugees across the border; new footage obtained by The Washington Post suggests Egypt is preparing for such a scenario,” the Post reported.
This week, the UK-based group Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, which has a monitoring team in Sinai, reported that Egypt was constructing a large concrete barrier to contain Palestinian refugees who could be displaced to Egypt.
The Post reported that it has verified video footage and other data showing that Egypt is “clearing debris from a rectangular plot of land measuring about eight square miles [21sq km] adjacent to the Gaza border, with a concrete wall being built around the perimeter”.
An unidentified Egyptian official also suggested to the US newspaper that the move is likely a contingency plan for what Egypt sees as a “worst-case scenario”.
Egypt has vehemently rejected the forced displacement of Palestinians into its territory.
🚩English below:
شاركت مؤسسة سيناء مع صحيفة واشنطن بوست @washingtonpost ، المعلومات التي توصلت إليها فيما يتعلق بالجهود المصرية لتطهير منطقة كبيرة بالقرب من حدود غزة سرًا، ربما لاستيعاب اللاجئين الفلسطينيين الفارين من الغزو الإسرائيلي المحتمل لرفح.وقالت صحيفة واشنطن بوست إن… pic.twitter.com/yK0QcLNWmo
— Sinai for Human Rights (@Sinaifhr) February 15, 2024
Translation: The Sinai Foundation shared with the Washington Post its findings regarding Egyptian efforts to secretly clear a large area near the Gaza border, possibly to accommodate Palestinian refugees fleeing from a likely upcoming Israeli invasion of Rafah. The footage and satellite images we shared with the Washington Post showed that construction was already underway.
Israeli forces raid towns near Jenin
The Israeli army has raided the villages of al-Jalbun and al-Jalamah in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reports.
Israeli soldiers set up a checkpoint at the entrance of al-Jalbun, stopping vehicles to carry out searches, Wafa added.
Since the war in Gaza began on October 7, Israeli raids and settler violence in the occupied West Bank have intensified, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
Hezbollah says it targeted Kiryat Shmona again
The Lebanese group says it launched “a number of rockets” at a military base in the northern Israeli town.
Hezbollah also said earlier that it launched a separate rocket attack against Kiryat Shmona. The Iran-allied group said both operations were in support of Gaza and in response to the killing of Lebanese civilians by Israel.
More exchanges of fire between Israel, Hezbollah across Lebanese border
The Israeli army has carried out more raids in southern Lebanon, including raids between Naqoura, Labbouneh, the outskirts of Tayr Harfa and Yarin, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency is reporting.
Separately, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on its Telegram channel said it hit the Israeli town of Birkhat Risha with rockets. The group also said it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of the Zarit barracks.
This latest round of fighting comes hours after Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.
On Wednesday, 10 civilians and three Hezbollah fighters were killed in Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the deadliest day for Lebanese civilians in four months of hostilities across the Lebanon-Israel border.
UNRWA says facility for visually impaired children has been totally destroyed
“Nothing remains of UNRWA ‘s Rehabilitation Centre for Visually Impaired,” the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency says in a social media post.
“This centre was available to all visually impaired children across the Gaza Strip and provided braille machines, canes, visual aids + access to recreational activities including arts, sports & music.”
Footage from before the war shared by the organisation shows children in the facility learning how to type using braille.
Nothing remains of @UNRWA's Rehabilitation Centre for Visually Impaired.
This centre was available to all visually impaired children across the📍#GazaStrip & provided braille machines, canes, visual aids + access to recreational activities including arts, sports & music. https://t.co/bpGUOpJO1Y pic.twitter.com/FM9hQyVv5J
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) February 15, 2024
White House ‘wishes’ flour was entering Gaza
Kirby, the White House spokesperson, has confirmed that Israel is preventing flour from reaching Gaza, where people are facing an imminent risk of famine.
“I wish I could tell you that that flour was moving in, but I can’t do that right now. And all I can tell you is that it is absolutely critical as a staple for the Palestinian people,” Kirby told reporters.
He added that Washington will continue to work with Israeli officials to get the aid into the besieged territory.
The Biden administration has faced mounting criticism for refusing to use its leverage over Israel to pressure it to adhere to Washington’s stated demands of increasing the humanitarian assistance flowing into Gaza and protecting civilians.
The White House is working with Congress to provide $14bn in more aid to Israel.
UNRWA chief highlights toll of war on Gaza’s children
Philippe Lazzarini has said that 17,000 children in Gaza have been separated from their parents since the war began. Israel’s assault on Gaza has been the deadliest for children in modern history.
“Four months into a brutal war. The toll on civilians is unimaginable. Already 5 percent of Gaza’s population has suffered death, injury, or separation,” Lazzarini said in a social media post.
“17,000 children torn from their parents. Starvation looms. Desperately needed aid is not going into Gaza. There’s no sanctuary. Urgent action is crucial to halt this deepening humanitarian disaster.”
Four months into a brutal war. The toll on civilians is unimaginable. Already 5% of Gaza's population has suffered death, injury, or separation.
17,000 children torn from their parents. Starvation looms. Desperately needed aid is not going into #Gaza. There's no sanctuary.… pic.twitter.com/TBldfCei4U
— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) February 15, 2024
‘Under current circumstances’ Rafah invasion would be ‘disaster’: US
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has renewed US calls for Israel to create a plan to ensure the safety of civilians in the crowded southern Gaza city before attacking it.
“Without that credible plan, a major operation in Rafah would be a disaster,” Kirby said.
Earlier today, Canada, New Zealand and Australia – all close US partners – warned in a joint statement that an invasion of Rafah would be “devastating” and “catastrophic”, stressing that civilians pressed against the Egyptian border have nowhere safe to go.
US officials have said repeatedly that Washington is not opposed to an attack on Rafah in principle, but Kirby told reporters that he does not see a “whole heck of a lot of gap” between the position of the Biden administration and that of its three allies.
UK PM Sunak urges Netanyahu to allow delivery of aid to Gaza
Rishi Sunak has called on Israel to fully open the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) border crossing to allow the delivery of international aid to Gaza through an Israeli port, his office says, adding that the appeal was made during a call with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The Prime Minister highlighted the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and urged Israel to fully open the Kerem Shalom crossing and allow the maritime delivery of international aid through Ashdod port,” a statement from Downing Street read.
Sunak also told the Israeli leader that negotiating a humanitarian pause in the conflict was an “immediate priority”.
‘War crime’: Gaza authorities say Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital shameful
Gaza’s Government Media Office says the storming of the medical centre and turning it into a military base by Israel is a “blatant war crime” that violates all international treaties and standards.
“We hold the Israeli occupation and the international community and the United States fully responsible for the lives and safety of hundreds of medics and patients and wounded and displaced people still inside [the hospital],” the office said in a statement.
It also rejected Israeli claims that the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was used by Hamas to house Israeli captives, calling the allegations “well-worn” and known to be false in the eyes of the world.
Israel has been attacking hospitals throughout Gaza, claiming Hamas connections. However, critics say the systematic targeting of medical centres aims to render the territory unlivable while robbing civilians of safe places to shelter.
Gaza Civil Defense: Two killed in Israeli strike on Jabalia
The group says in a social media post that its staff teams are currently attempting to put out a fire that resulted from a recent air raid on a home belonging to the Sabah and Afana families in north Gaza.
They are attempting to access the bodies of the two killed Palestinians, as well as “a number of injured” under the rubble, so that they can be transported for treatment.
Photos: Lebanon lays to rest victims of Israeli raids
WATCH: Palestinians face famine imposed by Israel’s blocking of crucial aid
Read: Al Jazeera’s statement against Israel’s justification for targeting journalists
The network has released the following statement:
Al Jazeera Media Network rejects the Israeli occupation forces’ attempt to justify the killing and targeting of journalists.
The Network condemns the accusations against its journalists and recalls Israel’s long record of lies and fabrication of evidence through which it seeks to hide its heinous crimes.
At a time when its correspondents and field crews are making great sacrifices to cover what is happening in Gaza, Al Jazeera’s employment policies stipulate that employees are not to engage in any political affiliations that may affect their professionalism, and to adhere to the controls and directives contained in the Network’s code of ethics and code of conduct.
Al Jazeera ensures that all its journalists and correspondents adhere to the editorial standards.
The Network recalls the systematic targeting of Al Jazeera by the Israeli authorities, which includes the bombing of its office in Gaza twice, the assassination of its correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh, the killing of colleagues Samer AbuDaqa and Hamza Al-Dahdouh, the deliberate targeting of a number of Al Jazeera journalists and their family members and the arrest and intimidation of its correspondents in the field.
Given Israel’s unprecedented campaign against journalists, Al Jazeera urges media outlets worldwide to exercise the utmost caution and responsibility when headlining Israel’s justifications for its crimes against journalists in Gaza.
Protesters block street in Tel Aviv
Israeli media has posted video to X showing the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza protesting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to not send a delegation to Cairo to continue negotiating with Hamas.
The protesters blocked Begin road in front of the Keria army base in Tel Aviv, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 said.
Earlier today, media reports said that Netanyahu had effectively pulled out of truce talks, after dismissing Hamas’s response to an Israeli proposal nearly a week ago.
הפגנת משפחות חטופים מחוץ לקריה בתל אביב pic.twitter.com/Monav562y4
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) February 15, 2024
Translation: Demonstration of families of abductees outside Kirya in Tel Aviv