Gaza, Jan 23 (IANS): At least 50 Palestinians have been killed and dozens of others wounded by Israeli bombings on shelter centres of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical sources said.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Monday in a press statement that it had received "reports of deaths and injuries among the displaced as a result of the occupation's bombings of shelter centres".

"Israeli tanks approached Al-Amal Hospital, and we completely lost contact with our crews in Khan Younis as a result of the ground incursion," it added.

The organisation said that ambulances were unable to reach the injured in Khan Younis, because of Israeli forces' siege of its ambulance centre and "targetting anyone who tries to move around".

In addition, the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza said in a press statement that Israel had targetted five shelter centres in the city of Khan Younis, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement noted that "the Israeli army targetted the displacement centres with direct bombardments, Quadcopter aircraft, drone aircraft, and artillery, which led to dozens of deaths and wounded".

Ashraf Al-Qedra, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said in a press statement that "the Israeli occupation is committing horrific crimes west of Khan Younis".

He added that "dozens of deaths and wounded are still in the targetted places and roads," and the Israeli forces prevented ambulances from transferring the wounded people and retrieving the bodies of the victims in the west of Khan Younis.