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Israeli troops have launched a raid on the largest remaining hospital in Gaza still operating.
The Nasser hospital in Khan Younis was reportedly hit by tank fire, leaving one person dead and at least eight injured.
Footage from the damaged facility that made its way to social media reveals people searching for survivors under the rubble, with blood on the floor and smoke filling the air.
The Israeli military claims people had been issued a warning about the operation beforehand and that they were being evacuated from the site.
Rae Abed was injured and in hospital when they were told to evacuate.
"I was in Nasser Hospital. They besieged us for 5 to 6 days. No-one was allowed to enter or leave. A drone was shooting at us and there were snipers. They told us the day before yesterday night we had to leave in the morning at ten o’clock. One group left. I got up to leave because they said the wounded also had to leave. I got up, got dressed, walked two steps, then fell to the ground."
Israel says it was compelled to go through with what it called a limited operation after receiving credible intelligence that its remaining hostages, caught by Hamas during the October 7 raids, were being held at the hospital.
Israeli Defense Force spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari says several suspects were arrested during the raid.
Mr Hagari says three of them have already been confirmed to be participants in the October 7 attacks.
“According to the information we have collected I can now share some of the terrorists who took part in the massacre of October 7th. They were found by our forces inside the Nasser Hospital complex. Three confirmed terrorists we found are: Maeed Adel Muhammed Abu Nazira, ambulance driver for the Hamas terrorist organisation, took part in the massacre of October 7th, confessed transporting a hostage from the border with Israel into the Gaza Strip. Ismail Ahmed Ali Odeh confessed to taking part in the massacre of October 7th. Amro Khaled Abu Rida, a known terrorist of the PLFP terror organisation.”
The Israeli offensive has been focused on the city of Khan Younis for several weeks.
But Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has signalled his forces' intention to move to the south, where they believe the remaining Hamas battalions are hiding.
That's of concern to the international community, with over 1.5 million displaced Palestinians seeking refuge at the southern border of Gaza with Egypt.
The United Nations has warned that the move could cause an influx of refugees from Gaza into Egypt.
UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths describes it as a nightmare scenario.
“The possibility of a military operation in Rafah, with the possibility of the crossing closing down, with the possibility of spillover, the sort of Egyptian nightmare, if you like, in a sense, is one that is right before our eyes with Ramadan looming.”
Australia, Canada and New Zealand released a joint statement warning that any unplanned operation in the Rafah area could have disastrous consequences.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby says the statement is in close alignment with the United States position on the matter.
"I don't see a whole heck of a lot of gap between what they've been saying, what we've been saying. I mean, I can't speak for them. I can just tell you that we continue to believe that under the current circumstances, without a credible plan, as the president said, to account for the more than a million Palestinians that are down in Rafah, make sure that they have a place where they can be safe and secure and out of harm's way. Without that credible plan, a major operation in Rafah would be a disaster. We agree with that. And we're continuing to talk to our Israeli counterparts about what that plan might look like."
World Health Organisation officials have also expressed concern that field hospitals will not be able to keep up with the influx of patients if the operation in southern Gaza intensifies further.
Dr Richard Peeperkorn is the WHO Representative for Occupied Palestinian Territory.
He says already one of the newly established field hospitals in the area is being overrun with severe trauma cases.
“Just established field hospitals, when they opened they expected to have 200 patients per day, very quickly they received between 600 and 700 patients a day, of this 40% is trauma. And this trauma is by far the biggest component. Even in the short period we have been the last hour, we saw a number of ambulances rushing in with the most severe trauma cases.”
Meanwhile, the conflict continues at the border of Israel and Lebanon, with the Israeli forces launching an air strike that killed 10 civilians in what has been the deadliest day of strikes between the two nations in recent times.
Lebanese-based military group Hezbollah responded by launching a series of missiles towards northern Israel.
The IDF's Daniel Hagari says Israel is determined to stand its ground.
“We are very strongly prepared in the north to defend and attack, and are ready and prepared to deal with Hezbollah's terrorist threats. We are working determinedly to change the security situation until conditions are right for the residents to return to the north."
The UN has called for a de-escalation of hostilities, amid fears that the conflict could widen throughout the region and engulf even more nations.
