Iraqi militia claims to have struck Israeli targets in Eilat

An Iraqi militias said they “targeted” Israeli positions in the city of Eilat on the Dead Sea.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an armed faction formed in the wake of Israel’s assault on Gaza, claimed the attack in a statement on Friday, but did not go into specifics.

“In support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted this morning a target in the occupied Umm al-Rashash,” the group said, using the Arabic name for Eilat.

“The Islamic Resistance confirms its continued destruction of enemy strongholds. Victory is only from God. Indeed, God is Mighty, All-Wise.”

Israeli jets target three Gaza hospitals within hours

Israeli fighter jets targeted three hospitals in Gaza on Friday within the space of a few hours, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Bombs were dropped in the courtyards of the Indonesian hospital, the al-Quds hospital, and al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s biggest medical facility.

At least 15 people were killed in the Shifa shelling, according to Al Jazeera.

Dozens of others have been wounded, including people injured during previous attacks.

One of the bombs hit a convoy carrying patients that departed from Shifa and was en route to southern Gaza for further treatment.

Israel bombs convoy of wounded Palestinians, killing and injuring scores

The Israeli military bombed a convoy carrying critically wounded Palestinians in Gaza, killing and injuring scores, hours after health ministry officials publicly announced the patients would be escorted south.

Ashraf Al Qedra, the spokesman for the Palestinian Ministry of Health, said on Friday afternoon that a group of critically wounded people would be transferred to Rafah in the south for further treatment.

In a televised press conference, he asked the Red Cross to accompany the convoy to ensure its safety.

Nonetheless, Israeli fighter jets bombed it.

“We informed the Red Cross the convoy started moving when the convoy departed from Al-Shifa Hospital, but the occupation targeted it in more than one location while it was still close to the hospital’s entrance,” Qedra said.

Number of UN staff killed in Gaza climbs to 72

The UN relief agency for Palestinians, Unrwa, has said that 72 of its staff have been killed in Gaza by Israel.

Spokeswoman Juliette Touma told the BBC that its remaining facilities that have not been bombed by Israel are housing more than 700,000 civilians in cramped and overcrowded conditions.

The commissioner-general of Unrwa, Philippe Lazzarini, speaking to Christiane Amanpour on CNN on Thursday said the “number of people killed so far is so staggering it can no longer be considered collateral [damage].”

Corpses of Palestinians fleeing air strikes strewn on Gaza road

Editor’s note: Some readers might find details and footage in this update distressing

Footage aired by Al Jazeera Arabic showed bodies of Palestinians strewn on a key Gaza road after being killed by Israeli fire while fleeing from north to south.

Al-Rasheed roads stretch along the coast of Gaza from north to south. Dozens of people were travelling on it on Friday when they came under gunfire and shelling from Israeli attack helicopters and fighter jets, according to local media. – MEE