Israel strikes Palestine's Rafah, injuring hundreds But loses two servicemen

The death toll in the Israeli army's heavy strikes on the southern city of Rafah and surrounding areas of the Gaza Strip exceeded 100 on February 12, with hundreds of injuries, including women and children.

About 40 airstrikes on the Rafah area in the early hours of February 12 were conducted by the Israeli army, with intensive ground shelling, according to Xinhua.

The Israeli army said in a statement that it conducted "a series of strikes on terror targets" in southern Gaza on February 11, but did not provide other details.

Meanwhile, Israel launched a special forces operation that freed two Israeli hostages in Rafah early on February 11, which local health officials said killed 37 people and wounded dozens in the southern Gaza city.

A joint operation by the Israel Defence Force (IDF), Israel's domestic Shin Bet security service and the Special Police Unit in Rafah freed Fernando Simon Marman, 60, and Louis Hare, 70, the Israeli military said.

The two men were kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak on October 7, the military said.

"It was a very complex operation," Israeli military spokesman Lt Col. Richard Hecht said. "We’ve been working a long time on this operation. We were waiting for the right conditions."

The hostages were being held on the second floor of a building that was breached with an explosive charge during the raid, which saw heavy exchanges of gunfire with surrounding buildings, Hecht said.

"I'm very happy to announce that this night two released hostages landed here at Sheba medical center, Israel's largest hospital," said Prof Arnon Afek, director of Sheba general hospital. "They were received in our ER and initial examinations were conducted by our ER staff and they are in a stable condition and being tended to."

As was further reported, Israeli strikes on the Gaza strip over the past 96 hours have killed two Israeli hostages and seriously injured eight others, Hamas' armed-wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, said on February 11 over the group's Telegram channel.

"Their conditions are becoming more dangerous in light of the inability to provide them with appropriate treatment.(Israel) bears full responsibility for the lives of those injured in light of their continued bombing," the statement said, regarding the remaining hostages.

Moreover, the White House said in a statement that US President Joe Biden in a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the need to ensure the security of the population of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. In his opinion, it is impossible to conduct a military operation there without a plan to protect the residents.

"He reiterated his view that a military operation should not be conducted in Rafah for lack of a credible and feasible plan to provide security and support for the more than one million people sheltering there," the statement reads.

The two sides during the call also discussed efforts to secure the release of hostages who continue to be held by Hamas. Biden called to "capitalize on the progress made in the negotiations" for their release. The US president also called for measures to step up the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 28,176 since October 7, 2023, with 67,784 others being injured, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said in a statement on February 11.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, about half of the residents there have fled to Rafah, adjacent to Egypt, in search of safety.

The border city, which receives food and medicine aid from foreign countries and UN agencies through the Rafah crossing, is crowded with tents on empty agricultural lands, in schools and along roadsides.