Jordan says its Gaza hospital damaged by Israeli shelling

Israel stepped up its assault on Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Wednesday, pushing tanks westwards and prompting accusations from Jordan that its field hospital in the city had been badly damaged by nearby shelling.

The Jordanian army said it held Israel responsible for a "flagrant breach of international law" in what it said was the damage to the facility as a result of Israeli shelling in the vicinity. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

People in and around another hospital, Nasser, fled as tanks approached the district overnight following an Israeli army statement that it had come under fire from the area. Hamas deny using health facilities for military operations.

Palestinian health officials said seven people were killed by Israeli air strikes that damaged homes near the hospital.

Many of the Nasser hospital staff have left for shelters further south, with just one doctor for more than 100 burn victims remaining, Sean Casey, World Health Organisation emergency medical teams coordinator in Gaza, said on January 9.

Only about a third of Gaza's hospitals remain operational and some only partially.

Israeli forces fought their way to the centre of Khan Younis more than a month ago and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday intense military operations in the south were drawing to a close, weeks after similar statements about northern Gaza.

Fighting raged in densely populated Jabalia in northern Gaza on Wednesday however, a day after Israeli tanks stormed back into parts of the north they had left last week.

Israel said it was scaling back its operations in northern Gaza in early January as part of what it said would be a more targeted approach in its war against Hamas after operations that have flattened entire residential districts.