Gaza Ministry Cites 21,468 Waiting to Leave

Two Palestinians died in a drone strike on central Gaza on Thursday.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has renewed its demand to open the Rafah crossing to Egypt.

The ministry stated that 21,468 patients and wounded individuals currently require medical care outside the territory.

Of that total, 6,430 have been identified as priority cases needing immediate attention.

Al Jazeera correspondent Ashraf Abu Amra reported from Deir el-Balah that an Israeli drone fired two missiles at a civilian car in the Maghazi refugee camp.

The attack killed two people and wounded several others, who were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital for surgery or intensive care.

Abu Amra noted that one patient is in critical condition and that the strike occurred without prior warning.

Israeli aircraft have been flying at low altitudes across all areas of the strip, according to Abu Amra.

In northern Gaza, an earlier strike in Jabalia wounded a Palestinian who was taken to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Attacks are escalating east of Jabalia in the Halawa camp, where Israeli forces along the Yellow Line have begun firing directly at tents.

In eastern Gaza City, artillery shelling caused explosions in the Shujayea, Tuffah, and Zeitoun neighborhoods.

Israeli forces are conducting large-scale demolitions in areas behind the Yellow Line, including east of Deir el-Balah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, as well as in Beit Lahiya in the north, destroying homes and infrastructure remnants. On Thursday morning, four Palestinians were buried at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis after being killed in a drone strike in al-Mawasi, near the Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings. Abu Amra identified the victims as civilian employees of the Ministry of Economy who monitor aid trucks entering through Karem Abu Salem. Moath al-Kahlout reported that more than 30 others were wounded in that attack. Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in tents in al-Mawasi, an area Israel previously designated a safe zone. Al-Kahlout also reported that 11 people, including women and children, were wounded when Israeli artillery struck a house east of Gaza City, citing emergency services. The Gaza Health Ministry said on Thursday that six Palestinians had been killed and 38 wounded over the previous 24 hours. The ministry blamed repeated border closures and deliberate delays in evacuation procedures for worsening patient conditions. It stated that dozens had died while waiting for permission to leave and that the health of thousands more had seriously deteriorated. Since February, 3,056 patients and wounded people have been evacuated for treatment abroad, according to the ministry. Of those, 2,614 left through Rafah and 442 exited through the Karem Abu Salem crossing with Israel.