Middle East live blog: + Israel: 200 terrorists killed in Al-Shifa clinic +

Israel’s military says it has killed 200 terrorists so far during operations at the Al-Shifa clinic in Gaza. 16 people were killed in fighting with Hezbollah. All developments in the live blog.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has thanked Pope Francis for his repeated appeals for peace in the Middle East war. In a letter to the head of the Catholic Church on the occasion of the upcoming Easter, Abbas recalled the catastrophic situation in the Gaza Strip, as reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Pope’s calls give hope to those affected, the letter said.

According to the Israeli army, fierce fighting continues in the area of ​​the Shifa Hospital in Gaza. “Around 200 terrorists have been eliminated in the area of ​​the hospital since the activity began,” the military said on Thursday. In the last 24 hours, “terrorists have fired on Israeli troops from and outside the Shifa Hospital emergency medical building.”

The army described the operation as precise, preventing damage to civilians, patients, medical teams and medical equipment. Civilians, patients and health teams were taken to alternative medical facilities set up by the army.

The organization “Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor” accused Israel’s army of deliberately killing civilians, including children, during the operation in Shifa.

Israel accuses the Islamist terrorist militia Hamas of systematically misusing medical facilities for military purposes. Hamas rejects this.

The Hamas-controlled health authority said on Thursday that 62 Palestinians had been killed and 91 others injured in the Gaza Strip within 24 hours.

Despite the war in the Gaza Strip, numerous pilgrims are expected to take part in the traditional Good Friday processions in Jerusalem on Good Friday, although fewer crowds are expected than in other years. The large Stations of the Cross procession on the Via Dolorosa takes place between 11:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. (local time). It is accompanied by a large Israeli security presence. Israeli police said they are striving to create a safe environment for all worshipers and visitors, regardless of their religious or cultural background.

A gunman has injured at least three people, including a 13-year-old boy, in the occupied West Bank, according to emergency services. Israeli media reported that a man in a military uniform fired at passing vehicles. The boy was injured on a school bus and two men were hit in their cars.

The Israeli military said it had set up road blockades in the area near the city of Al-Auja and was searching for the gunman.

At least 16 people have been killed in fighting between the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and Israel. Hezbollah and its allied Amal movement and the Jamaa Islamiya group reported a total of 15 deaths from Israeli attacks. The Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom had previously reported the death of a civilian in the city of Kiryat Shmona following shelling from Lebanon.

Hezbollah said four of its fighters and two rescue workers were killed. The Amal Movement reported two deaths, including a member of the rescue workers. A representative of the fundamentalist group Jamaa Islamiya told the AFP news agency that seven “rescue workers” had been killed in Israeli attacks.

The US military says it intercepted four drones fired by the Houthi militia in Yemen over the Red Sea. The drones had targeted a US warship and were “destroyed” around 2:00 a.m. local time, the US military Central Command, which is responsible for the region, said in the evening. No injuries or damage were reported, it said.

The US is seeking renewed talks with Israel about the planned offensive in the city of Rafah. In a New York Times report, a former hostage describes sexual violence by Hamas. Wednesday’s developments to read.