Medical facilities in Khan Younis battered during Israeli assault, Palestinian officials in Gaza say
Smoke billowing over Khan Younis in southern Gaza during Israeli bombardment on January 22
Medical facilities in Khan Younis in southern Gaza were battered amid an Israeli assault in the area Monday, Palestinian health officials said.
The Hamas-controlled health ministry in Gaza said dozens of people were killed and wounded in the latest offensive in western Khan Younis, where medical facilities including the Nasser Medical Complex, Al Amal Hospital and the Palestine Red Crescent Society headquarters are located.
“The situation here is completely catastrophic. We didn’t sleep last night. The hospital is entirely besieged,” Ahmad Al Moghrabi, a doctor at the Nasser Medical Complex said in a video shared to his Instagram page Monday. “There is no way for us to escape the hospital and no way for evacuation. The troops are all around, and the only roads for evacuation are filled with dead bodies,” he said.
The Nasser Medical Complex is receiving more serious injuries than it can accommodate, the health ministry said, adding that intensive care units are currently at capacity. Health officials also said that Israeli forces Monday stormed the Al Khair Hospital, west of Khan Younis, and detained a number of its medical staff, amid an ongoing “siege” of the area.
The IDF told CNN, when asked to comment on the storming of the hospital, that they “cannot comment on ongoing activities.”
Israeli military says ‘operations’ in Khan Younis to last several days
Israeli forces have recently focused their attacks on Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing dozens of Palestinians, including children. However, the military says that its goals have not yet been achieved, and that its operation will last for several days, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The army says that its operation aims to destroy Hamas’s government centres and military capabilities in Khan Younis. However, the vicinity of a number of hospitals have been targeted by Israeli attacks, leaving thousands to flee.
Israel must increase intensity of war, despite US pressure: Smotrich
Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said the country’s military must “dramatically increase the intensity of the war” at a party meeting, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
“This is the only way we can really bring the hostages home and maintain our existence here as a sovereign and secure Jewish state,” he was quoted as saying.
What are the US and UK concerned about:
UK imposes new sanctions on key individuals linked to Hamas
The United Kingdom announced new sanctions on individuals linked to Hamas on Monday, in its third round of such sanctions since October 7. It made the announcement alongside the US and Australia.
Five “key figures” linked to the leadership and financial networks of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) were sanctioned, as well as one currency exchange entity called Al Mutahadun for Exchange. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that the move was a “clear message” to Hamas that the UK is “committed to ensuring there is no hiding place for those financing terrorist activities.”
US issues additional sanctions on groups facilitating Iran's funding of Hamas
The US has sanctioned several "Hamas-affiliated" financial groups in Gaza, alleged to have facilitated the transfer of funds, including cryptocurrency, from Iran to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. “Hamas has sought to leverage a variety of financial transfer mechanisms, including the exploitation of cryptocurrency, to channel funds to support the group’s terrorist activities,” Brian Nelson from the Treasury of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence said in a press release.
Those sanctioned include members of the Gaza-based Shamlakh family, who used several companies to facilitate funds transfers from Iran to Hamas, and the Hezrallah Exchange, which allegedly "worked with Hamas to facilitate transactions, including through the use of cryptocurrencies," according to the Treasury Department. The US imposed sanctions alongside the UK and Australia, who are also sanctioning "key Hamas officials and facilitators," according to the State Department.
"We remain committed to working with our allies and partners to dismantle the financial infrastructure that supports Hamas operations," said State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement.
US sanctions Kataib Hezbollah leaders, Iraqi airline
Washington has targeted four officials and supporters of Kataib Hezbollah (KH) as well as Fly Baghdad, accusing the airline of “providing assistance” to Iran-backed “proxy groups” in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Living in an upside down world. US and UK are directly complicit in the unfolding genocide. Keep the focus on Hamas and everything else. Nothing to see in Gaza.
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