Israel says patients, citizens evacuated from Shifa hospital

Israeli forces on Wednesday evacuated the patients and medical teams in the hospital to other facilities nearby to provide proper medical treatment, according to an IDF statement. During the operation, Israeli forces said Hamas fighters in and around the hospital fired on troops. Israeli forces said they eliminated an estimated 200 militants in the area of the hospital.

What about this other hospital, Al Amal? Israeli troops claimed to have eliminated more militants in the area of that hospital on Wednesday. They also found explosive devices and mortar shells in nearby infrastructure, the IDF reported.

Israeli forces released seven medical personnel from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, according to a statement by the group Thursday. The medical personnel had spent 47 days in Israeli captivity, and they include the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services in Gaza, Mohammed Abu Musabeh, according to a separate statement by the group. Eight more members of the PRCS allegedly remain in captivity, the group said.

What else is happening in Gaza? Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has rearranged his cabinet, according to a report by the Associated Press. None of the individuals he’s slated for positions in his new cabinet are well-known officials. At least five of the nearly two dozen are from Gaza.

The death toll for Palestinians in Gaza has exceeded 32,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “100 percent of the population of Gaza is experiencing severe levels of acute food insecurity,” according to a social media post by the U.S. State Department.

Dig deeper: Read William Inboden’s column in WORLD Opinions about a recent UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza.