Israel sends tanks into Gaza's Deir al-Balah, hostage families concerned
The area is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west and south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy infrastructure and capabilities of the militant group Hamas.
Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said.
"UN staff remain in Deir al-Balah and two UN guesthouses have been struck, despite parties having been informed of the locations of UN premises, which are inviolable. The locations, as with all civilian sites, must be protected, regardless of evacuation orders," said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said its staff residence and main warehouse in Deir al-Balah was attacked on Monday. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained by the Israeli military, said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding three were later released while one staff member remained in detention.
Israel's mission to the UN in New York declined to comment.
To the south in Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike killed at least five people, including a husband and wife and their two children in a tent, medics said.
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