​​​JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

At least 10 hospitals and clinics in the Gaza Strip were hit by Israeli strikes in the last week, causing full or partial-service shutdowns and overwhelming the remaining health care facilities, the Haaretz newspaper reported Saturday.

The assault on the European Hospital in Khan Younis marked the start of Israel’s intensified ground operation, known as the Gideon Chariots operation, which was approved by the Israeli Security Cabinet on May 4 and launched May 18, according to the Israeli daily.

“These strikes severely increased pressure on Gaza’s collapsing health system,” it said, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry that indicated 400,000 people are now left without access to medical services.

The World Health Organization (WHO) documented 28 attacks on hospitals across the enclave last week -- 4% of all hospital attacks since the onslaught began.

“Military assaults in Gaza are pushing the health system to collapse,” the WHO warned on X, noting that 94% of hospitals have sustained major damage or were destroyed.

Only 19 of the 36 hospitals in the enclave remain at least partially operational, it added, underlining that “hospitals must never be militarized or targeted.”

Four key hospitals were forced to shut down last week due to repeated strikes, evacuation orders and intensified fighting.

Israel claims that fighters from the Palestine resistance group, Hamas, are hiding inside hospitals, a justification frequently repeated by the military.

Since the start of the onslaught against Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has repeatedly struck medical facilities, severely damaging the health care system and endangering thousands of patients, according to UN and Palestinian sources.

In parallel, Israel has maintained a blockade on aid deliveries since March 2, implementing what observers describe as a policy of systematic starvation, which has led to famine and the deaths of many civilians.