February 15, 2024 Israel-Hamas war

An Israeli strike killed at least one person and wounded “many” others after hitting the orthopedic department at the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

Footage shared with CNN by Dr. Ahmad Moghrabi from inside the hospital showed bloodied patients, covered in dust, being wheeled through a corridor while the hissing sound of compressed air could be heard.

In another video, a man with his face covered in blood is carried through a darkened hallway.

In a video filmed by journalist Mohammad Salama, hospital staff can be seen helping move patients out of a damaged area in the facility. Sections of the roof have collapsed and there is thick dust in the air. In some hallways, the lights have gone out.

A separate statement from the health minister in Ramallah, Mai Al-Kailah, said Israeli soldiers had also stormed the courtyard of the complex and fired on the building.

The Nasser complex is the largest remaining functioning medical facility in Gaza. More than 1,500 displaced people are still inside, according to the health ministry. 

The IDF said Wednesday that its soldiers had “opened a secure route to evacuate the civilian population taking shelter in the area of the Nasser Hospital toward the humanitarian zone.” 

Doctors and medical officials in Gaza have said Israeli snipers shot dead multiple people as they tried to leave the complex in recent days.

Read more about the besieged hospital here.

A series of Israeli airstrikes across southern Lebanon killed 12 people, including children, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Seven members of the same family were killed in a residential building in Nabatieh, the third time the southern Lebanese city has been targeted since October, according to the agency.

A child who survived the strikes was found under the rubble after more than four hours of search and rescue operations.

In the town of Souwaneh, three members of one family were killed, including a two-year-old and a 13-year-old boy, the agency reported.

The strikes came after the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday said that it had struck “Hezbollah terror targets” in Lebanon in response to a deadly rocket attack on the Israeli city of Safed that they said originated from Lebanese territory.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday reiterated his intention to order concerted military operations in Rafah, vowing that his country will fight “until the absolutely victory.”

Netanyahu said “powerful action” would come in the southern Gazan city after the evacuation of civilians from "battle zones."

A growing number of world leaders and NGOs have called on Israel to avoid a ground operation in what is now Gaza's most populated city, with a Red Cross official saying "countless lives are hanging in the balance."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned Israel's planned ground offensive, saying it would create a "humanitarian catastrophe.”

It comes as the Israeli military said Wednesday that it has struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, as the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff warned of an ongoing offensive against targets in the neighboring country. The strikes follow an earlier deadly rocket attack from Lebanon on a northern Israeli city.

Here are the latest headlines:

Israel's plans to launch a ground offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah would be "catastrophic," the prime ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand warned in a joint statement Thursday.

The world leaders called on Israel to heed "growing international consensus" and not “go down this path," as "there is simply nowhere else for civilians to go."

They cited the International Court of Justice, which ordered Israel to ensure the delivery of essential humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians in Gaza.

The group added that "any ceasefire cannot be one sided” and reiterated calls for the release of all Israeli hostages.

Doctors and medical officials in Gaza said Israeli snipers had shot dead a number of people as they tried to leave the Nasser Medical Complex in the southern city of Khan Younis over recent days.

An eyewitness to the shootings, who is a trauma surgeon at the hospital, said at least two people were killed by snipers on Tuesday, with more shot and wounded.

The Israel Defense Forces ordered hospital staff and patients to evacuate and said it had “opened a secure route” for civilians to leave.

But at least eight people trying to escape along the route came under gunfire on Tuesday, said the surgeon, who asked not to be named for security reasons.

In a series of voice notes, the surgeon said medical teams had been under bombardment for at least three days. His testimony was shared with CNN by his colleague.

Among those wounded, the surgeon said, was a 16-year-old boy shot with four bullets at the hospital gate.

In a video seen by CNN, adults and young children wearing rucksacks frantically gathered their belongings to evacuate the hospital, as Israeli drones buzzed overhead.

The Nasser complex is the largest remaining functioning medical facility in Gaza. More than 1,500 displaced people are still inside, according to the health ministry. 

The IDF confirmed to CNN that Israeli troops were operating in the area of the Nasser Medical Complex but did not respond directly to the allegations.

Mick Krever contributed reporting. 

US President Joe Biden granted Palestinians in the United States temporary protection from deportation amid the ongoing conflict overseas, according to a new memo.

The move comes as the White House faces immense pressure from the Arab-American community over the situation in Gaza.

Late last year, Democrats urged Biden to extend temporary protections to Palestinians in the US, arguing that those already in the country “should not be forced to return to the Palestinian territories, consistent with President Biden’s stated commitment to protecting Palestinian civilians.”

The president has the discretion to authorize what’s known as deferred enforced departure, which protects those covered from removal from the US for a period of time. Those who qualify are also eligible for work permits. 

Those convicted of felonies or who pose a public safety threat are not eligible for deferred enforced departure.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned Israel's plans to launch a ground offensive in Rafah, saying it would create a "humanitarian catastrophe." 

Speaking during a news conference after she met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Baerbock drew attention to the plight of displaced Palestinians sheltering in Rafah. 

This comes as Netanyahu promised a "powerful action" in Rafah after the civilian population is evacuated, according to a statement posted on X. 

During her talks, Baerbock said she pushed for "more border crossings be opened quickly" so more humanitarian aid and medical supplies can reach people in Gaza. 

The foreign minister also laid out Germany's support for a ceasefire, saying it would create "a window of opportunity to free the hostages and to get more humanitarian aid in." 

Arab countries at the United Nations are preparing to introduce a Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, they said Wednesday.

The resolution would also call for unimpeded humanitarian relief and would block any transfer of residents of Gaza to a different location — which Arab countries insist is forced collective punishment against international law.

The United States has publicly stated it opposed the draft resolution. 

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the group had good, frank talks with the US Ambassador. Mansour said it is “high time” for the UN to act with a ceasefire resolution. and said the "internal business of the US is their business."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his intention to order Israel's military to go into Rafah after the civilian population is evacuated, according to a new statement posted on X Wednesday.

Some background: US President Joe Biden told Netanyahu previously that an operation in Rafah “should not proceed” without ensuring the safety of the people sheltering there, the White House said.

Some other world leaders and NGOs including the United Nations have called on Israel to avoid a ground operation in what is now Gaza's most populated city.

French president Emmanel Macron and World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday appealed to Israel not to move forward with a Rafah ground operation.

Netanyahu said on Sunday that Rafah is "Hamas's last bastion," and that Israel will get the "remaining Hamas terrorist battalions" there, in an interview with ABC News.