Destroyed buildings are seen at the Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, Jan 25, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

GAZA - The Palestinian Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Thursday accused Israeli forces of encircling and paralyzing the hospitals in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, as the Palestinian death toll kept rising.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said in a statement that the Israeli army's besiegement has rendered the hospitals in Khan Younis completely paralyzed and hindered the movement of ambulances.

It said that Israel conducted 21 attacks against families in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, resulting in 200 deaths and 370 injuries, raising the total Palestinian death toll in the Palestinian enclave since Oct 7, 2023, to 25,900.

The ministry added that the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict has wounded at least 64,110 Palestinians, noting that a large number of victims were still under the rubble as ambulance and civil defense crews could not reach them.

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Currently, medical teams are working to resume partial operation of the hospitals in northern Gaza that were damaged by Israeli attacks.

Efforts were also underway, in collaboration with international organizations, to provide medical supplies and fuel to restore the operation of the hospitals in Gaza.

Medical aid has been entering the besieged enclave in limited quantities, falling far short of basic needs, while 70 percent of the aid is deemed unusable, according to the statement.

The ministry called on the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations institutions to protect local hospitals, and step up the delivery of medicines, food and fuel, among other humanitarian aid.

Destroyed buildings are seen at the Maghazi refugee camp, in central Gaza Strip, Jan 25, 2024. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

The Israeli fire on Thursday struck a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid at Kuwait Square, a major intersection in Gaza City, killing at least 20, the Hamas-run Health Ministry added

The Israeli army on Thursday ordered residents of the southern Khan Younis city to evacuate their homes in preparation for coming bombings.

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Avichai Adraei, a spokesman for the Israeli army, said on social media platform X that "to the residents of Khan Younis in the neighborhoods of Al-Nasr, Al-Amal, the city center and the camp, in blocks of 107-108-109-110-111-112, for your safety, you must move immediately to the humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi".

Local sources said that more than 60,000 residents were under the threat of evacuation from Khan Younis, and many of them had already started evacuating to escape the expected Israeli operations in the area.

Meanwhile, the Israeli fire on Thursday struck a crowd of Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid at Kuwait Square, a major intersection in Gaza City, killing at least 20, the Hamas-run Health Ministry added.

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The ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said the Israeli strike also injured 150 others, who were among the thousands waiting for humanitarian aid at Kuwait Square.

He noted that the death toll is likely to rise, as dozens of seriously injured citizens, who were sent to the city's Al-Shifa Medical Complex, may fail to be treated due to the limited medical capabilities of the hospital.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that "the Israeli army deliberately approached people from the flour carts to receive them near Kuwait Square, and began firing bursts of gunfire at them."

"We transferred a large number of wounded and deaths, but there are still large numbers of others in the place as the army continued firing and shells at anyone approaching the area," said Basal.

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An Israeli military source told Xinhua that the Israel Defense Forces is looking into the reports, without revealing more information.

Kuwait Square is located on Salah al-Din Road, southeast of Gaza City. Salah al-Din is the main road that runs north to south in the Gaza Strip, and the Israeli army has set up a military checkpoint near the road to separate Gaza City from the south, with its artillery and bulldozers stationed there.