Gaza:

Iran warned that Israel’s war against Hamas would inevitably lead to an expansion of the conflict on the scale of civilian suffering, as officials in Gaza reported Israeli air strikes on or near several hospitals in the Palestinian territory.

Palestinian officials said 10,812 Gaza residents were killed in air and artillery strikes as of Thursday, about 40% of whom were children. A humanitarian disaster has unfolded as basic supplies such as food and water have run out and civilians have been displaced from their homes due to shelling.

The comments by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian could raise concerns over whether Washington’s diplomatic efforts and the deployment of US naval forces to the eastern Mediterranean will be able to prevent conflict from further destabilizing the Middle East.

“Due to the expansion of the intensity of the war against civilian residents of Gaza, the expansion of the scope of the war has become inevitable,” Amir Abdallahian told his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Thursday night.

Iran’s state Press TV reported the comments made during a telephone conversation on Friday.

Israel’s bombardment and siege of Gaza over the past month has created a humanitarian disaster, with thousands of people still seeking medical treatment and shelter in the few hospitals that are open, putting people living in the war zone in grave danger.

“The Israeli occupation launched simultaneous attacks on several hospitals during the past hours,” Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra told Al Jazeera television.

Qidra said Israel targeted the courtyard of Al Shifa, Gaza City’s largest hospital, and there were casualties, but he did not give details.

Israel’s military did not immediately comment on Qidra’s statement.

Gaza’s hospitals are struggling as they run out of medical supplies, clean water and fuel for power generators due to a months-old Israeli military campaign.

Gaza’s health ministry said 18 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals and 40 other health centers were out of service either due to damage from bombing or lack of fuel.

Palestinian media on Friday published video footage Al Shifa said showed the scene after an Israeli strike on a parking lot where displaced Palestinians were sheltered and journalists watching.

A pool of blood can be seen next to the body of a man on a stretcher.

Human Rights Watch social media site

Qidra said al-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital and al-Nasr Children’s Hospital were “directly witnessing a series of attacks and bombings” on Friday. He said vehicles were set on fire in the attacks on the hospital grounds in al-Rantisi but were partially extinguished.

Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said Friday that explosions near an Indonesian hospital overnight damaged parts of the hospital, located at the northern end of the narrow coastal strip. It did not say who was responsible for the blast and did not report any deaths or injuries.

“Indonesia once again condemns the brutal attacks on civilians and civilian objects in Gaza, especially humanitarian facilities,” the ministry said in a statement.

US says Israel agrees to pause

Israel’s military claims it has evidence that Hamas uses other hospitals, such as Al Shifa and the Indonesian hospital, to hide command posts and entry points into an extensive tunnel network under Gaza. It says it does not target civilians, and it has allowed some wounded Palestinian civilians to cross into Egypt for treatment.

But according to residents, Israel’s military advance on central Gaza City, which brought tanks to within about 1.2 kilometers (3/4 mi) of Al Shifa, has raised questions about whether Israel will protect medical centers and displaced people seeking refuge there. How will it interpret international laws on security?

Deadly airstrikes near refugee camps, a medical convoy and hospitals have already sparked sharp debate among some of Israel’s Western allies over its military’s adherence to international law.

US President Joe Biden said in a post on Twitter on Thursday that Israel “has an obligation to distinguish between terrorists and civilians and to fully comply with international law.”

Israel has agreed to pause military operations in parts of northern Gaza for four hours a day, but there is no sign of a reduction in fighting, the White House said Thursday.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the pause, which would allow people to flee through two humanitarian corridors and could be used for the release of hostages, was an important first step.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested any pause would be scattered, and there has been no official confirmation of plans for recurring breaks.

Asked if there would be a “pause” in the fighting, Netanyahu said on Fox News Channel: “No. The fight continues against Hamas’ enemies, the Hamas terrorists, but here the fighting in specific locations for a certain period of a few hours.” Continuing.” “After spending a few hours there, we want to safely evacuate civilians from the fighting area and we are doing that.”

On the ground in northern Gaza, there were no reports of a reduction in fighting. Each side reported causing heavy damage to the other in the fierce street fighting.