Israeli forces raid hospital in southern Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces on Friday said its troops detained more than 20 suspects in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israeli forces apprehended the individuals during their raid on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis where the IDF says troops also found weapons. Troops entered the facility Thursday after ordering hundreds of civilians who were taking shelter in the compound to evacuate. Israeli officials believe Hamas terrorists held hostages at the facility, said Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said Friday that five patients in the hospital’s intensive care unit had died due to a power outage at the facility. The World Health Organization was working with the UN and Israel to gain access to the hospital, WHO Spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said Friday in Geneva.

What is happening in Rafah? Satellite images taken by Colorado-based Maxar Technologies, a private space technology company, and verified by multiple western media outlets appear to show Egypt building a buffer zone and wall along its border with Gaza near the city of Rafah. The Sinai Foundation for Human Rights, a non-governmental organization, released a video on social media showing what it says is the wall being constructed near the city. Thousands of Palestinian people have fled to the city to escape fighting in other regions of Gaza.

What else is happening in the war? The UN’s International Court of Justice on Monday began six days of hearings about Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. The UN in 2022 asked the court to give a non-binding opinion on the occupation. Meanwhile, families of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas terrorists called on the International Criminal Court on Wednesday to investigate Hamas.

Dig deeper: Listen to Jill Nelson’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about neighbors at war in the West Bank.