Gaza, Dec 28 (IANS): An Israeli bombardment near a hospital in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more on Wednesday, the Gaza Health Ministry said.

The ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra said in a statement that the death toll could rise as rescuers searched for survivors under the rubble of a residential building near Al Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, a densely-populated city in southern Gaza, Xinhua news agency reported.

Local sources told the news agency that there were many displaced Palestinians inside the building when the attack happened, while rescuers at the site said most of the victims were retrieved in "dismembered parts".

Prior to the attack, the casualties from the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip rose to 21,110 deaths and 55,243 injuries, according to the Health Ministry.

During the past 24 hours, 195 people were killed while 325 were injured and transported to hospitals due to Israeli attacks, said the ministry.

The ministry's spokesman warned against the deliberate targeting by the Israeli army of the vicinity surrounding the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, urging international institutions to take effective and immediate steps to ensure the protection of the complex, its staff, the wounded, and the thousands of displaced people within it.