Israeli forces kill 90, arrest 600 in raid, army says

Israel's army said on Wednesday that it has killed about 90 Palestinians and arrested 600 others in a raid at al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza.

Israel has been conducting the attack on the hospital for three days. Once Gaza's largest medical center, al-Shifa Hospital is one of the few hospitals that are still functioning after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and now serves as a shelter for displaced Palestinians.

In a video from the al-Shifa compound, Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said that many Hamas operatives and seniors have been hiding in these buildings.

He said the forces located weapons in the hospital and avoided harm to patients and medical staff.

According to Hagari, more than 250 people have been arrested and "identified" by the Israeli forces as Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives, and another 350 people were still in interrogations.

The Israeli army claimed that all the fatalities were militants, a statement refuted by Hamas. As reported by the Israeli Ynet news site, the Hamas-run media office said that the casualties were injured civilians and displaced individuals seeking shelter in the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army said that four officials affiliated with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) were eliminated in the Gaza Strip's southern city of Rafah.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media platform X that the army and Shin Bet security service eliminated officials affiliated with the Hamas Emergency Committees in Rafah.

He added that fighter jets targeted the Hamas officials in Rafah on Monday, during which, Sayyid Qutb Al-Hashash, Osama Hamad Dahir, Hadi Abu Al-Rous and Mohammad Awad Al-Malalahi were eliminated.

According to his statement, these officials were sent by the Hamas leadership in Rafah, where they worked on coordinating the organizational activities in humanitarian areas and were responsible for all movement activities and relations in the field.

The Palestinian death toll from the ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 31,923, with 74,096 others wounded, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said Wednesday.

During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 104 Palestinians and wounded 162 others, the ministry said in a press statement.

International aid underway 

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the intensive Israeli bombing continues in most parts of the Strip, resulting in more deaths among civilians, displacement and destruction of civilian infrastructure.

The statement highlighted the rapidly deteriorating food security conditions, including an approximately 80 percent increase in the number of people facing the highest level of food insecurity since the onset of the conflict, when the initial assessment was conducted.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center signed on Wednesday a memorandum of financial support of $40 million with the UNRWA.

The support from the kingdom came in response to UNRWA's emergency appeal in the Gaza Strip, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The Chinese government continues to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the Chinese Embassy in Egypt said in a press release on Wednesday.

China has provided a batch of cash assistance to Gaza and is currently delivering two batches of food, medical supplies and other essential humanitarian aid to the enclave through Egypt, according to the embassy.

The Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army said on Wednesday that it carried out six air drops of food aid in the northern Gaza Strip.

The airdrops, part of continued efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the residents of the enclave, were carried out by a C130 aircraft from the Royal Jordanian Air Force, an Egyptian aircraft, a German aircraft, a Singaporean aircraft and two U.S. aircraft, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

'A firm international stance'

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh on Wednesday welcomed the Canadian government's decision to halt arms exports to Israel amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.

"Israel's genocide war requires a firm international stance to halt arming Israel and impose immediate sanctions to prevent it from continuing its crimes," Shtayyeh said in a statement.

He stressed the urgent need to pressure the opening of the border crossings to the Gaza Strip, ensure the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid, and restore the supplies of electricity and water.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced on Tuesday night that Ottawa would halt its exports of weapons to Israel.

Joly's statement came a day after the Canadian House of Commons called for a halt to arms shipments to Israel.

Recently, it delayed a shipment of 11 armored vehicles to the Israeli police and another shipment of night vision devices.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz strongly criticized the decision, saying on social media platform X that "history will judge the current step of the Canadian government harshly."

He added that "it is regrettable that the Canadian government is taking a step challenging Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas killers who have committed crimes against innocent Israelis."

(With input from agencies)