At least 28 Palestinians were killed today in Israeli strikes against various areas of the Gaza Strip, including eight in a strike against a school where displaced families had sought refuge in Gaza City, doctors said, while the Israeli military called for the evacuation of a hospital in the northern part of the enclave.

Palestinian doctors indicated that eight people—including four children—were killed at the Musa Ibn Nusair school in Gaza City where displaced persons were housed.

“An airstrike against the Musa Ibn Nusair school, where thousands of displaced people have taken refuge, in the eastern part of Gaza City, caused eight martyrs, including four children,” explained Mahmoud Bashal, the representative of the Palestinian Civil Protection.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “the strike targeted Hamas fighters operating” from a command center inside the school. He added that Palestinian militants used the school to plan and launch attacks against Israeli forces.

“Before the strike, many measures were taken to limit the risk of harming civilians,” he explained.

According to civil protection, “an Israeli airstrike targeting the home of the Abu Samra family in Deir al-Bala, in the central part of the Gaza Strip,” caused another 13 casualties.

The same source pointed out that four more people were killed this morning in Gaza City by an Israeli drone strike “against a civilian vehicle”.

In addition, at least 5 Palestinians were killed in two separate airstrikes in Rafah and Khan Younis, in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave.

In the town of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip where Israel’s army has been carrying out intensive operations since October, Hussam Abu Shafiyya, director of Kamal Atwan Hospital, said the army had asked staff to withdraw and move the sick and wounded to other medical structure in the area.

Abu Safiyya stressed that this is “almost impossible” because hospital staff do not have ambulances to transport patients.

Yesterday Saturday the director of the Kamal Antoine hospital appealed to the international community for medicines and food, stressing that now the medical structure cannot offer help to the patients.

For its part, the Hamas Health Ministry warned that the hospital is also facing shortages of drinking water. As he complained, the Israeli army does not allow Kamal Antoine to be supplied with basic items and prevents doctors and nurses from accessing it.

Abu Shafiya also warned that some patients may die if they do not receive immediate help.

When asked about this, the Israeli military responded that Hamas is using civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, as cover in violation of international humanitarian law.

He also added that efforts were being made to reduce clashes near health facilities and that Kamal Antoine had recently been resupplied with fuel, medicine and food.

The Israeli armed forces have been conducting intensive operations in the towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun as well as the neighboring Jabalia refugee camp since October.

The Palestinians accuse Israel of engaging in acts of “ethnic cleansing” with the aim of removing the residents of these areas and creating a neutral zone there.

The Israeli army denies this and says that the aim of its operations in northern Gaza is to deal with Hamas fighters who remain in the area and not allow them to regroup. He emphasizes that in the last almost three months his forces have neutralized hundreds of militants and dismantled military infrastructure.