GAZA, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed on Saturday in Israeli shelling on the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian sources.

Israeli warplanes targeted in the morning a gathering of Palestinians west of the al-Shati refugee camp, said Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Civil Defense in Gaza.

Basal told Xinhua that seven people were killed and some others injured in the strike, all of whom were taken to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

Medical workers also recovered a body and a number of wounded persons after an Israeli airstrike on a house in the vicinity of al-Ta'min school in central Gaza, according to Basal.

Meanwhile, in southern Gaza's Rafah, medics told Xinhua that a Palestinian was killed by an Israeli drone in the Khirbet al-Adas area, north of the city.

Local sources and eyewitnesses reported the Israeli army has been blowing up residential buildings in the al-Janina neighborhood, east of Rafah, since morning hours.

The Israeli army has not commented on these incidents.

Also on Saturday, Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, warned of the seriousness of the situation inside the hospital.

"Shells landed Friday on the third floor and at the doors. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported. However, it caused terror and fear among the wounded and children," Abu Safiya said.

"Until now, we have not received all the necessary electricity, water, and oxygen supplies," he complained.

Abu Safiya noted that the Israeli army "has not agreed to allow the entry of all the required medical supplies, and medical staff are prevented from entering."

He urged the international community to facilitate the rapid entry of humanitarian aid, including medical supplies, surgical instruments, and medics, to continue providing services to the wounded and sick in northern Gaza.

Israel has been conducting a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.

The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 45,227, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Saturday. Enditem

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