### Israeli Airstrike Hits Gaza Hospital Courtyard, Causing Casualties and Severe Burns

An Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital courtyard early Monday resulted in at least four fatalities and a fire that ravaged a tent camp for displaced individuals. According to Palestinian medical staff, the incident led to more than two dozen people suffering from severe burns.

The Israeli military stated that the target was militants hiding among civilians, although no evidence was provided to support this claim. This attack is part of a pattern where Israel has struck crowded areas like shelters and tent camps, alleging that these are often used by Hamas fighters for launching attacks. Footage from the scene showed desperate situations, including children among the wounded, and a man carrying a toddler with a bandaged head.

Despite already dealing with casualties from a prior strike on a school-turned-shelter which resulted in at least 20 deaths, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital was overwhelmed by the new influx of casualties. Records indicate that the hospital documented four deaths and 40 injuries, with 25 people requiring transfer to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza due to severe burns.

The conflict continues unabated, over a year into the war that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages. Israeli reprisals have resulted in more than 42,000 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The majority of these deaths are reported to be women and children, although the numbers of fighters are not disclosed.

The extensive conflict has displaced an estimated 90 percent of Gaza's 2.3 million population, rendering large portions of the area uninhabitable. Among the custodial measures enforced by Israel, around 400,000 people from the northern Gaza have been evacuated to the south, and since the beginning of the month, food supplies have been restricted to the north.

Human rights groups, including B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, have voiced apprehension about a possible strategy that could classify remaining civilians in northern Gaza as combatants, a move they claim could breach international law. These groups are urging the international community to intervene to prevent potential crimes of starvation and forcible transfer.

The conflict is not confined to Gaza; Israel is also engaged in a simultaneous air and ground conflict with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. On Sunday, a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli army base claimed the lives of four Israeli soldiers aged 19 and severely injured seven more, marking the deadliest attack by the group since the onset of the ground invasion of Lebanon. Hezbollah announced that the strike was in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, which had resulted in 22 deaths.