Palestinian doctors and human rights groups have condemned the killing of a senior Gaza medical official by Israeli forces, accusing Israel of systematically targeting the besieged Gaza Strip's health care system.
Israel bombed a clinic in Gaza City late Sunday, killing Gaza's ambulance and emergency department director Hani al-Ja'afarawi and four others.
The clinic that was attacked provided general medical, paediatric and dental services, but was forced to close due to the Israeli attack.
“Israeli warplanes bombed the clinic, completely destroying the room,” said Ismail Al-Ghor, Al Jazeera's Arabic correspondent reporting from Gaza City.
“The blood of those targeted is still on the floor, while the Israeli attack has destroyed all of the clinic's equipment, putting thousands of patients at risk now.”
Eyad Zakout, head of the emergency department at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Baraf, told Al Jazeera on Monday that by killing Ja'afarawi, Israel had removed a “pillar” from the region's crumbling health system.
“It is clear that the Israeli army is once again trying to completely destroy Gaza's health system,” Zakhout said.
“Hani Al-Ja'afarawi was a pillar of the health system in Gaza. He [and] “He was helping the sick and injured. He was working day and night to help people living in very difficult conditions in Gaza.”
The Gaza Ministry of Health also praised Dr. Al-Ja'afarawi as an example for his dedication to his medical mission and helping sick and injured Palestinians, despite the great difficulties posed by Israeli attacks.
“The Ministry of Health reiterates its call on the international community and international organizations to end Israel's heinous aggression in the Gaza Strip and protect the health system and its workers,” the ministry said in a statement.
Since the Gaza war began in October, Israel has killed 500 medical workers and detained 310.
The Israeli military said on Monday that the attack was against “Hamas's weapons production headquarters” and killed a senior Hamas official responsible for developing the group's fighting capabilities.
The United States, meanwhile, said conflicting reports about the attack made it “extremely difficult to establish the ultimate truth.”
“Clearly, militants should not hide behind civilians. That has been the case from the beginning. And Israel needs to take every precaution to minimize civilian casualties,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Monday.
Missing Children
Meanwhile, Israel continues to bomb the Gaza Strip. The Health Ministry said on Monday that the war death toll had reached at least 37,626.
Save the Children said on Monday that an estimated 21,000 children are missing in the Gaza Strip.
“While the current situation in Gaza makes it nearly impossible to gather or verify information, at least 17,000 children are believed to be unaccompanied by their parents, around 4,000 children are believed to be missing under the rubble, and an unknown number are in mass graves,” the charity said in a statement on Monday.
“Others have been forcibly 'disappeared,' including an unknown number who have been detained and deported from Gaza, with their whereabouts unknown to their families amid reports of ill-treatment and torture.”
At least seven Palestinians died on Monday in Khan Yunis while waiting for badly needed aid, health officials said.
The Palestinian Civil Defense said it had recovered the bodies of five Palestinians, including three children and one woman, after an Israeli attack in central Gaza.
Israel has also been advancing further into Rafah, southern Gaza, where Israeli army commander Helgi Halevi said troops were on the verge of “eliminating” Hamas.
“We achieved great things in the Battle of Rafah… the number of terrorists killed, the amount of infrastructure destroyed, [destroyed] According to the Jerusalem Post, Halevi spoke about “the construction of the tunnels and the development of a very complex underground war.”
Truce proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that “the intense phase of the fighting with Hamas is soon coming to an end.”
Netanyahu told Israel's Channel 14 that he would agree to a “partial” ceasefire with Hamas to secure the release of Israelis held by Hamas, but would not agree to an end to the war.
His remarks appeared to contradict US assertions that Israel had agreed to Washington's proposals that would lead to a “permanent” ceasefire.
U.S. officials have stressed that Hamas is blocking a phased agreement offered by President Joe Biden in May.
Hamas said Netanyahu's comments showed Israel was not seeking a ceasefire but was trying to buy time to continue its “war of annihilation” against Gaza.
“It has become clear to the world that it is Mr. Netanyahu, not Hamas, that is rejecting and obstructing the agreement proposed in the Biden speech and the latest UN Security Council resolution,” Izzat al-Rishq, a senior official with the group, said in a statement on Monday.
The Israeli prime minister walked back his remarks later on Monday, saying his government was “committed to the Israeli proposal, which President Biden welcomes.”
The US State Department suggested Netanyahu's remarks were a mistake.
“I think anybody who speaks publicly is going to make mistakes and gaffes from time to time, and when they do, we have an obligation to clarify, and I'm glad he did,” Miller said.
