Ten die as Israel storms Khan Younis

Israeli troops today opened fire on a Gaza Strip hospital where hundreds had gathered after an army raid killed 10 Palestinians and wounded more than 100.

Four people were hurt at the Nasser Hospital, including a medic and a 14-year-old boy who was hit in the neck.

Most had been trying to discover the fate of relatives.

Doctors were struggling to take in scores of casualties from the army raid on Khan Younis – the deadliest Israeli strike in three months.

At one point, a helicopter had fired a missile into a crowd, killing eight people.

Palestinian doctors said all the dead were civilians. An Israeli officer said many were gunmen.

Haidar al Kidreh, the hospital director, said doctors were performing several operations at the same time in the same room because of the number of casualties. He said the wounded ranged in age from eight to 75.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat denounced the Israeli raid as a massacre and called on the international community to protect the Palestinians.

He added that he believed the raid was timed to disrupt a visit by Javier Solana, the European Union foreign policy chief.

“Every time we witness efforts to revive the peace process and put it back on track, like those being exerted now by Solana, the Israeli government moves to conduct such war crimes and murder innocent civilians because the end game of the Israeli government is to resume full occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Erekat said.

Israeli government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Brigadier General Israel Ziff, the Israeli army commander in the area, said that during the operation, troops met heavy resistance from Palestinian gunmen. He said that as troops were beginning to withdraw, many armed men gathered in the streets.

“They fired a lot and threw grenades. There was a battle there,” Ziff said. “The helicopter aimed at this armed group and hit them.”

Ziff said the battle was filmed from a pilotless plane.

But Palestinian witnesses said large numbers of people emerged from their homes to inspect the damage when they saw the Israeli troops withdrawing. At this point, the Israeli helicopter fired into the crowd, killing eight people.

Abed Ouda, 29, was parking his car when the missile struck. “I heard a huge explosion,” he said, “and people were wounded and bleeding on the ground in front of my car.”

Dr Mohammed Abu Dalal of Nasser Hospital appealed for more doctors and supplies to help treat the large numbers of casualties.

The raid began just after midnight when about 40 Israeli tanks, backed by helicopters, entered the Khan Younis and shelled houses on the main street, witnesses said.

The Israeli military said the soldiers operating in the Amal neighbourhood of the town exchanged fire with armed Palestinians. It described the area as a stronghold of the Islamic militant group Hamas.

Israeli armoured columns have frequently moved into Palestinian-controlled areas in recent weeks, destroying workshops where Israel says weapons are made and arresting terror suspects.