Southern Gaza hit by bloodiest fighting of 2024, new strikes on Houthis

Israeli forces, advancing deep into western Khan Younis in Gaza's bloodiest fighting so far in January, stormed one hospital and put another under siege on Monday, cutting off the wounded from trauma care, Palestinian officials said.

Troops advanced for the first time into the al-Mawasi district near the Mediterranean Coast, west of Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza. There, they stormed the Al-Khair hospital and were arresting medical staff, Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qidra said.

There was no word from Israel on the situation at the hospital, and the military spokesperson's office had no comment. The military said later that three Israeli soldiers were killed on Monday in southern Gaza.

Qidra said at least 50 people were killed overnight in Khan Younis, while the sieges of medical facilities meant dozens of dead and wounded were beyond the reach of rescuers.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said tanks had surrounded another Khan Younis hospital, al-Amal, headquarters of the rescue agency, which had lost contact with staff there.

"We are deeply worried about what is happening around our hospital," said Tommaso Della Longa, spokesperson for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Israel says Hamas fighters operate in and around hospitals, which Hamas and medical staff deny.

Elad Goren of COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry branch that coordinates with the Palestinians, added that, "A particular effort led by a dedicated team has been put on making sure civilians have access to medical care."

Penned in

The newest phase of the war has brought fighting deep into the last corners of the enclave packed with those fleeing bombardment. At least 25,295 Gazans have been killed since October 7, Gaza health authorities said in an update on Monday.

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now penned into Rafah just south of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah just north of it, crammed into public buildings and camps of tents made from plastic sheets lashed to wooden frames.

Gaza has had no communications or internet service for 10 days, hampering ambulance dispatches to areas targeted by Israel and preventing people from checking on one another and on the whereabouts of Israeli forces.

At Nasser Hospital, the only major hospital still accessible in Khan Younis and the largest still functioning in Gaza, video showed the trauma ward overwhelmed with wounded being treated on a floor splashed with blood.

In Brussels, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told reporters the situation in Gaza was out of control and asked the European Union to call for a ceasefire.

"The health system has collapsed. There is no way for injured Palestinians to be treated in the Gaza Strip and they are not able to leave Gaza for treatment outside," he noted.

New joint strikes on Yemen's Houthis

The United States and United Kingdom launched new strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Monday, the U.S. Central Command said.

The latest strikes, carried out at about 11:59 p.m. Sanaa time (2059 GMT), were aimed at eight targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, the command said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands provided support for the strikes.

"The targets included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities," it said.

Acting unilaterally or in concert with its allies and partners, the U.S. military has launched eight rounds of strikes against Houthi targets since January 12.

These moves were intended to degrade the Houthis' capability to continue their attacks on commercial and naval vessels sailing in the Red Sea, Bab-Al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, the command said.

Yemen's official Saba news agency said strikes hit the capital Sanaa and several other parts of the country, while Houthi TV outlet Al-Masirah said four strikes targeted the Al-Dailami military base north of the capital, which is under Houthi control.

Earlier on Monday, Yemen's Houthi group said it had carried out a strike on an American military cargo ship, OCEAN JAZZ, in the Gulf of Aden.

In a statement broadcast by the group's Al-Masirah TV, its military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group "affirms that retaliation against American and British attacks is inevitable, and any new aggression will not go unpunished."

(With input from agencies)