Gaza rescuers said Israeli attacks close to the European Hospital killed at least 28 people, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the military would enter Gaza “with full force” in the coming days.

Gaza’s civil defence agency said at least 28 people were killed in Israeli attacks on Tuesday around the hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

The rescue organisation said in a short statement that the bodies of some of the victims could not be recovered because they were “scattered around the hospital area” from the intensity of the Israeli bombardment.

After reports indicated a second round of Israeli missiles hit the area to deter rescue operations, the agency confirmed the Israeli army “deliberately targeted anyone who tried to reach” the wounded.

The Israeli military said it struck a “Hamas command centre” beneath the hospital, without providing any evidence.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it carried out “a targeted attack” on the Nasser Medical Complex, also in Khan Younis, killing two people, including Palestinian journalist Hassan Eslaih.