Israel has initiated a targeted operation in Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, accusing Hamas of using it as a command center. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claim to have warned Gaza authorities to cease military activities within the hospital, giving a 12-hour notice that went unnoticed.
Tanks reportedly entered the hospital compound, causing distress among patients and staff. The UN estimates over 2,300 individuals, including patients, staff, and displaced civilians, trapped inside due to ongoing fighting.
Al-Shifa, caring for 36 babies, faces a dire situation with insufficient means to evacuate them, resulting in the death of three premature babies due to a lack of fuel for generators. The hospital’s conditions are described as catastrophic, with medical procedures occurring without anesthesia, families enduring scarcity of food and water, and the smell of decomposing bodies spreading in the air.
Both Israel and the US assert that Hamas uses Gaza’s hospitals for military purposes. Hamas, in turn, holds President Joe Biden and Israel responsible for the assault on al-Shifa. The conflict continues to escalate, with rockets fired from Gaza into southern Israel. The regional impact is evident in heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Arab countries, meeting in Saudi Arabia, called for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza, rejecting Israel’s self-defense justification. With this ongoing humanitarian tensions in Gaza, it calls for immediate international concerns for its effect on civilians and infrastructure.
