Ten killed in an Israeli Airstrike Near Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya

Fire raged through the rubble in the early hours of Wednesday (December 18) after an Israeli strike hit a house near Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya.The strike, which hit a residential building just outside the hospital, stroke right before midnight leaving at least ten people dead, medics at the hospital said.Speaking on Tuesday late night (December 17), the hospital director, Hussam Abu Safiya, told Reuters several bodies were still trapped under the rubble, according to survivors and eyewitnesses, adding that the hospital lacks the tools and resources to dig into the ruins and assist casualties properly.Israeli army forces have operated in the area since October. Medics said Israeli strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians overnight in the Palestinian enclave.The United States, joined by Arab mediators, sought on Wednesday to conclude an agreement between Israel and Hamas to halt the 14-month-old war.On Tuesday, sources close to the talks in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, said an agreement could be signed in coming days on a ceasefire and release of hostages held in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 45,097 Palestinians and wounded 107,244 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave’s health ministry said on Wednesday. n18oc_world n18oc_crux