Men walk as patients rest at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023. Photo: AFP.
The Government Media Office in Gaza warns of a new massacre in al-Shifa Medical Complex.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported that Israeli occupation forces raided some wards of the al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza on Wednesday morning, and opened fire indiscriminately toward its windows and inside wards, adding that the occupation has cut off all communications to the hospital. Dozens of Israeli soldiers also stormed the emergency department at al-Shifa Complex.
The Israeli occupation’s military claimed that its forces were “carrying out a precise and targeted operation” in a “specified area” in al-Shifa Hospital.
The Director-General of Hospitals in Gaza, Mohammad Zaqout told Al Mayadeen that Israeli occupation forces targeted the hospital’s surroundings with several airstrikes, stormed the emergency department, and assaulted patients.
Our correspondent reported that several people were killed and injured in the Israeli raid on the hospital this morning.
The Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed that the Israeli occupation military informed the Ministry of Health in Gaza of its intention to raid the al-Shifa Medical Complex after besieging it for several days and continuously bombarding its buildings.
All entrances blocked
The Government Media Office held the Israeli occupation, the international community, and the United States responsible for the safety of thousands of medical personnel, wounded individuals, and displaced persons, warning of another Israeli massacre.
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza, the occupation forces besieged all entrances to the hospital and deployed its tanks in its vicinity.
#Watch | Medical staff at #AlShifaHospital's intensive care unit evacuate patients after an Israeli strike targeted the unit.#Gaza #GazaGenocide pic.twitter.com/rtdrFVaI2b
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) November 15, 2023
The Hamas movement held the Israeli occupation and US President Joe Biden responsible for the raid on al-Shifa, pointing out that the White House’s adoption of the Israeli narrative about the Palestinian Resistance using the Complex was a green light for “Israel” to commit further massacres.
“We hold the occupation and President Biden wholly responsible for the assault on the al-Shifa medical complex,” Hamas said in a statement.
“The adoption by the White House and the Pentagon of the occupation’s false claim that the resistance is using the al-Shifa medical complex for military ends has given the green light to the occupation to commit more massacres against civilians.”
In turn, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement said that the United States is a partner in the Israeli crime of raiding the al-Shifa Medical Complex, adding that the Israeli occupation resorted to targeting civilians and patients after it was unable to achieve any military objectives in Gaza.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) dubbed the Israeli raid on al-Shifa Hospital and terrorizing medical staff, the wounded, and displaced Gazans is a comprehensive war crime, adding that the Biden administration’s unwavering support is the main reason for the escalation of the fascist Israeli entity in its criminal and thuggish actions.
A war crime in the making
The Director-General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Mounir al-Barsh, warned of the Israeli occupation against committing any foolishness against the thousands present inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex.
On his part, the Director-General of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabteh, confirmed that Israeli occupation forces stormed the hospital and opened fire inside patients’ rooms, slamming the US-backed incursion as a war crime. According to our correspondent, the Israeli occupation forces threatened the director in a phone call.
Earlier, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement warned on Tuesday of the US administration adopting the Israeli occupation’s lies regarding the use of hospitals by the Palestinian Resistance as operation centers.
The PIJ stated that this development greenlights Israeli crimes against hospitals, denying the claims made by the White House and the Pentagon on this matter.
Hamas also expressed its rejection of Washington’s statements regarding the movement allegedly using hospitals to hide captive Israeli occupation soldiers or as command and control centers.
“These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals, with the goal of destroying Gaza’s healthcare system and displacing Palestinians,” the movement said in a statement issued in English.
International committee needed
Hamas reiterated its call for the United Nations to establish an international committee to roam and inspect all hospitals to verify the falsehood of the fabrications of “Israel” and the United States.
“The United States bears direct responsibility for enabling Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza,” the statement read.
Similarly, the Palestinian Mujahideen movement indicated that the US administration is paving the way for the Israeli occupation to commit more massacres against patients and injured Gazans. pointing out that Washington is complicit in the shelling and targeting of hospitals by adopting the occupation’s false narrative.
The statements came soon after US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby claimed that Palestinian Resistance factions had a “command and control node” at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
“We have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages,” he told reporters during a briefing.
“They have stored weapons there and they’re prepared to respond to an Israeli military operation against that facility,” he added.
Fifth day of siege on hospital
In the same context, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Ashraf al-Qidra, said that Israeli occupation military vehicles surrounded the al-Shifa Medical Complex from all directions amid continuous artillery shelling and intense gunfire.
Al-Qidra pointed out that al-Shifa has been under Israeli siege for the fifth consecutive day, noting that Israeli snipers target anyone attempting to leave the complex.
The spokesperson highlighted that the al-Shifa complex houses approximately 9,000 people, including displaced Gazans who remain without protection and have limited access to food and water. He mentioned that the bodies of 100 Palestinian martyrs have been buried in the medical complex’s courtyard after their corpses decomposed.
According to al-Qidra, only al-Ahli Baptist Hospital and al-Awda Hospital are operational but with limited capabilities, and both are on the verge of going out of order due to fuel depletion.
