At least 55 Palestinians detained by Israel in Gaza released

At least 55 Palestinians detained in Gaza were released by Israel on Monday, including the director of its main hospital.

Mohammed Abu Selmia, alongside others, was taken in November when Israeli forces raided Shifa Hospital.

In video comments aired by Palestinian media following his release, Abu Selmia accused Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian detainees to “daily physical and psychological humiliation”, an allegation that Israeli authorities have denied.

Israel accuses Hamas and other militant groups of sheltering in hospitals and using them for military purposes.

Palestinian health officials say Israeli raids have forced several hospitals to shut down or dramatically reduce services, recklessly endangering civilians.

Hospitals can lose their protection under international law if they are used for military purposes.

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Projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza

Meanwhile, the Israeli military on Monday said around 20 projectiles were fired from Gaza at communities near the border.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

But nearly nine months into Israel’s massive offensive into Gaza, Palestinian militants have continued to launch sporadic rocket attacks, though the intensity has been greatly reduced.

Fighters have also regrouped in heavily damaged areas of Gaza where Israeli ground troops operated earlier in the war.

In recent days, fighting has erupted in the north, which was largely evacuated and heavily bombed early in the war.

Tens of thousands of people have fled the area in recent days, according to the United Nations.

Israel launched the war after Hamas’ attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.

Since then, Israeli ground offensives and bombardments have killed more than 37,700 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

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The war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine, and basic goods to Gaza, and people there are now totally dependent on aid.

The top United Nations court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.