Israel ends pause in assault by striking Gaza hospital

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had struck a hospital in southern Gaza housing Hamas members, ending a brief pause in fighting to facilitate the release of a US-Israeli hostage, reports BSS.

The military said in a Telegram post that "significant Hamas terrorists" had been "operating from within a command and control centre" at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, the main city in southern Gaza just north of Rafah.

"The compound was used by the terrorists to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF (army) troops," it said.

No information was immediately available on casualties.

Israel had paused military operations in Gaza to allow for the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old US-Israeli soldier who had been held hostage since October 2023.

Alexander, believed to be the last surviving hostage with US citizenship, was released on Monday ahead of a Middle East visit by US President Donald Trump.

Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its relentless assault on Gaza, which followed an attack by the Palestinian group in October 2023.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday that at least 2,749 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign, bringing the overall death toll since the war began to 52,862.

That attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.