Israeli forces have targeted a hospital in the blockaded Gaza City, setting fire to a wing of the medical center, witnesses say.

The strike took place in the vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital in the southwestern Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood.

There were, however, no immediate reports on casualties in the incident.

The Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood houses hundreds of Palestinians who had taken shelter from advancing Israeli tanks.

Over 1,066 Palestinians -- including at least 311 children and 97 women -- have been killed and 4,700 have been wounded since Israel launched its offensive against the Palestinian territory on December 27.

Tel Aviv says it launched the aggression against Gaza to put an end to rocket attacks against southern Israeli towns.

Hamas, the democratically-elected ruler of the coastal sliver, demands a cessation of an 18-month Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip before its fighters suspend the rocket attacks.


Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:04:05 GMT
MP/AA



Click to view image: '623ad2a3eb44-pirhayati20090115151527953.jpg'
A wounded Palestinian woman is brought into an already overcrowded hospital during the Israeli offensive in Gaza City. The majority of Gazans are women and children.