Palestinian Red Crescent slams Israeli claims about arrest of ‘terrorists’ at Gaza hospital

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society has dismissed Israeli claims about arresting 20 "terrorists" at Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip.

In a Thursday statement, the aid organization termed the Israeli claims as "slanders that aim to justify Israeli siege and raids on hospitals and medical staff."

Israel "is desperately attempting to justify its war crimes by killing medical staff and bombing and destroying hospitals," it added.

Israeli media published photos of medics and elderly patients being held at Al-Amal Hospital for alleged links with Hamas group.

Since Jan. 22, Khan Younis has witnessed a massive Israeli ground invasion, forcing tens of thousands of the city's residents to flee under heavy Israeli bombardment.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 28,663 and causing mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in an interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.