Israeli occupation forces seize Gaza parliament, other government institutions

The Israeli army on Tuesday captured the Gaza parliament and other government institutions in Gaza City.

The Israeli army said in a statement that its units “took over the Hamas parliament, the government building, the Hamas police headquarters and an engineering faculty that served as an institute for the production and development of weapons”.

The death toll in Gaza from Israeli relentless attacks has reached 11,240 including 4,630 children since October 7, according to the Gaza media office.

In a related development, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson said he was deeply disturbed by the “dramatic loss of life” in several hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

“In the name of humanity, the secretary general calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

Earlier, Hamas denounced Israeli army claims that a discarded baby bottle, makeshift toilet, and bullet-scarred motorbike were evidence the group held hostages inside a Gaza hospital.

On Monday evening, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said troops “found signs that indicate that Hamas held hostages” in the basement of Al-Rantisi children’s hospital in Gaza City.

There was no independent confirmation of the allegation, and the Hamas health ministry said the objects merely showed the basement was used by displaced residents fleeing fighting.

In a statement, the ministry said the video was “poor staging” with “not a single piece of evidence” backing the Israeli army claims.

“This basement appeared in the original blueprints of the hospital as a storage area and displaced people found refuge there,” it added.