IOF kill 460 Palestinians in Gaza as 80% of hospitals out of service

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
19 Mar 2025 23:09

"Israel's" relentless genocide in Gaza has killed at least 460 Palestinians over the past two days, leaving the population in extreme danger as the health system collapses.

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People carry the bodies of Palestinians killed in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip as they are brought for burial at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (AP)

The Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Wednesday evening that over 80% of hospitals and medical centers in the besieged enclave are now out of service due to relentless Israeli attacks.

This comes as Gaza’s Civil Defense reported that nearly 460 Palestinians have been killed in the past two days since the Israeli occupation renewed its aggression on the Strip. The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate, with rescue operations becoming increasingly difficult.

“Our teams are unable to rescue the wounded as fuel supplies in the sector are nearly exhausted,” a Civil Defense spokesperson stated. The ongoing bombardment has also led to a rise in casualties from an Israeli strike on a mourning tent in al-Sultan neighborhood of Beit Lahia, where at least 24 Palestinians were martyred.

In a grim development, Gaza’s Government Media Office declared that the enclave has officially entered the first stages of famine, as "Israel’s" suffocating blockade continues to prevent humanitarian and food aid from reaching civilians.

Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that more than 40 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday alone in ongoing Israeli airstrikes, with the death toll expected to rise. The attacks have not been limited to specific areas, but rather indiscriminate. Earlier, seven Palestinians were martyred in an Israeli strike targeting a Palestinian vehicle in Rafah, southern Gaza.

As the war intensified, the Israeli military announced it had reoccupied the Netzarim Corridor after previously withdrawing from the area as part of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli media reported that the political leadership has instructed the occupation forces to prepare for the forced displacement of Gaza’s population into a single zone in the southern district of the Strip.

In response, Hamas warned of the consequences of "Israel’s" ground invasion, stating that the repeated threats to expel Palestinians from their land expose the deep crisis faced by the government of “war criminal” Benjamin Netanyahu.

Katz explicitly threatens Gaza with genocide, ethnic cleansing

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday threatened the Palestinians in Gaza with the complete destruction of the besieged enclave and signaled the imminent resumption of the forced displacement of its people.

“For Gazans, this is the latest warning ... The air force attacks on Hamas were only the first step. What comes next will be much harder, and you will have to pay the price in full. The evacuation of the population from the war zones will soon begin again. If all kidnapped Israelis are not released and Hamas is not forced out of the Gaza Strip, Israel will act with a force you have never seen before,” Katz said in a direct address to the people of Gaza.

The statement signals a further escalation in the Israeli occupation’s brutal onslaught in the Gaza Strip, which has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced the overwhelming majority of the enclave’s residents.

Katz also urged Gazans to follow the advice of former US President Donald Trump, claiming that compliance with Israeli demands could lead to alternative “options” for them, including the forced displacement from Gaza permanently.

“Return the kidnapped and get rid of Hamas, then other options will open up for you, including passage to other parts of the world. The alternative is total destruction and devastation,” he added.