KHAN YOUNIS, Nov 15: Israeli forces on Wednesday raided Gaza’s largest hospital, a beleaguered facility filled with hundreds of patients, including newborns, that is at the heart of clashing narratives around the war and a potent symbol of Palestinian suffering.
Israel viewed Shifa Hospital as a key target in a conflict that has killed thousands of Palestinians and unleashed widespread destruction in Gaza. The war between Israel and Hamas erupted after the militant group killed some 1,200 people and seized around 240 captives in a surprise October 7 attack.
Israel says Shifa is a Hamas command post nestled under civilians, without providing visual evidence — part of its broader accusation that the militants use Palestinians as human shields. Hamas and Gaza health officials deny militants operate in Shifa, and Palestinians and rights groups say Israel has recklessly endangered civilians as it seeks to eradicate Hamas.
A worsening fuel shortage, meanwhile, threatened to paralyse the delivery of humanitarian services across Gaza and shut down the mobile phone and internet network.
Munir al-Boursh, a senior official with Gaza’s Health Ministry, said Israeli forces had ransacked the basement and other buildings at Shifa, including those housing the emergency and surgery departments.
“They are still here,” he said by phone from inside the hospital, hours after the raid began. “Patients, women and children are terrified.”
The Israeli military said it was carrying out a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the hospital,” adding that it was separate from where patients and medical staff are located.
It was not possible to independently assess the situation inside.
The military said the soldiers were accompanied by medical teams and bringing in incubators. It shared footage of them unloading equipment — as well as a couple dozen boxes labelled “medical supplies” and “baby food” in English — inside the hospital compound.
It added that forces are searching for hostages. The plight of the captives, who include men, women and children, has galvanized Israeli support for the war, and families and supporters of the hostages are holding a protest march from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The raid drew condemnation from Jordan and the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which called it a violation of international law. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said he was “appalled” by the raid, saying the protection of civilians “must override all other concerns.”
At one point, tens of thousands of Palestinians seeking safety from Israeli bombardment were sheltering at the hospital, but most left in recent days as the fighting drew closer. A few thousand remain behind, along with patients, including premature babies, whose fate has drawn particular concern.
The Health Ministry said 40 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa’s emergency generator ran out of fuel Saturday. Another 36 babies are at risk of dying because there is no power for incubators, according to the ministry.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Tuesday that Hamas had “lost control” of northern Gaza and that Israel made significant gains in Gaza City. But when asked about the timeframe for the war, he said: “We’re talking about long months, not a day or two.” (AP)
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