At least 42 people, including children, were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza overnight and into Friday, according to emergency response and hospital personnel. The claims were made by Israel's military and medical professionals regarding alleged evacuation orders for two hospitals in the mainly isolated northern part of the enclave.

The incidents involving Al-Awda and Indonesian hospitals took place as efforts to resume stalled ceasefire talks, aimed at ending nearly 15 months of war, were set to begin in Qatar. Medical staff at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital reported that airstrikes in central Gaza, including areas like Nuseirat, Zawaida, Maghazi and Deir al-Balah, resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen women and children. The day before, dozens of people were killed across the Gaza Strip. The missile attack woke us awake. "In the Maghazi refugee camp, we discovered the entire house completely destroyed," Abdul Rahman Al-Nabrisi remarked. 

Three people were killed in a car in Zawaida, central Gaza, by an airstrike, according to officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital later Friday. The Hamas-run government's first responders, the Civil Defence, said that two people were killed near the Al-Samer intersection in Gaza City and seven people, including four children and a woman, were killed in an airstrike in the Shijaiyah neighborhood west of Gaza City. The Israeli army announced that over the past day, it targeted multiple Hamas gathering spots and command centres across Gaza. It also warned people to evacuate a part of central Gaza, as it planned attacks in response to launches toward Israel. The military reported that a few projectiles were fired from central and northern Gaza, but no injuries occurred. Freelance journalist Omar al-Derawi was killed on Friday, and a press vest was placed on his shroud. The Committee to Protect Journalists reported last month that over 130 Palestinian journalists have lost their lives in the ongoing war.

Israel also faced attacks, with missiles reportedly fired from Yemen. This triggered air raid sirens in Jerusalem and central Israel, forcing people to take shelter. No injuries or damage were immediately reported. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen often take responsibility for such attacks. Concerns are growing over hospitals in northern Gaza. During a UN Security Council meeting on Friday about the war's impact on Gaza’s hospitals, Al-Awda Hospital in the north stated that Israel’s military ordered its staff and patients to evacuate immediately, without providing further details. An Indonesian Hospital nurse in northern Gaza told The Associated Press that they had been instructed to leave. They were still there with 19 people, including eight patients, and personnel had requested ambulances, the nurse added, speaking on condition of anonymity since they were not allowed to speak in public. The Israeli military stated that it was not involved in evacuating Al-Awda or Indonesian hospitals. It mentioned that messages had been sent to health authorities to confirm there was no need to evacuate the Indonesian hospital.

However, these statements from both sides could not be immediately verified. The Israeli military has imposed strict movement restrictions on Palestinians in Gaza and barred foreign journalists from entering the area during the conflict, making independent verification of information challenging.  Due to the extensive destruction of the health system, the impact of the war on hospitals has been a controversial topic. In addition to claiming that the military works to safeguard the facilities, Israel has frequently accused Hamas of operating out of hospitals. Several hospitals, including Al-Awda and Indonesian, have been raided by the military throughout the conflict. UN human rights chief Volker Turk informed the Security Council on Friday that his office's recent report recorded at least 136 attacks on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza. 

These strikes resulted in many deaths and injuries among doctors, nurses, medical staff and other civilians, while also causing severe damage or destruction to the targeted buildings. He emphasised that both sides must ensure the safety of these facilities. Indirect talks about a ceasefire were set to resume on Friday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office stated that he had authorised a team from the Mossad intelligence agency, the Shin Bet internal security agency, and the military to continue negotiations in Qatar. However, the US-led discussions have faced repeated delays. Netanyahu has pledged to continue military operations in Gaza until Hamas is completely destroyed. Despite being significantly weakened, Hamas has repeatedly regrouped, often after Israeli forces leave certain areas. The October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by militants commanded by Hamas set off the war. About 250 people were kidnapped and about 1,200 people, primarily civilians, were killed. There are still about 100 hostages in Gaza, and at least one-third are thought to be dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 45,500 people in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry, which states that women and children make up more than half of the deaths. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures. Israel's military claims it targets only militants and holds Hamas responsible for civilian casualties, saying its fighters operate in crowded residential areas. The army also claims to have killed 17,000 militants but has not provided evidence to support this number. The war has caused massive destruction and displaced nearly 90% of Gaza's population of 2.3 million, with many people forced to move multiple times. With winter now here, hundreds of thousands are living in tents near the sea.