Israel continues its bombardment in Gaza targeting civilian buildings, including several hospitals. This time a footage was released where it was seen a major explosion took place near the al-Shifa hospital. The video shared by the Qatari news organization Al-Jazeera was “terrifying” according to some comments on the video.
There appear to be several casualties as a result of Israel’s attacks on four hospitals in Gaza, including the largest medical facility in the Hamas-governed territory, according to the health ministry there.
According to health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra, Israel’s soldiers attacked a yard of the al-Shifa Hospital complex, where thousands of displaced Palestinians are seeking refuge, on Friday.
Al-Qudra told Al Jazeera, “Israel is now taking these dangerous steps against the hospitals to completely shut them down and subsequently displace the people sheltering in them, as well as the patients and medics.”
Although Hamas and hospital authorities have disputed this, Israel’s military claims that Hamas has a command center at the location of the hospital, complete with openings to its vast tunnel network.
Regarding rumors of the most recent strikes, Israeli officials remained silent for a while. Israel was also accused of bombing the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Baptist Hospital on October 17. Israel denied the accusation and blamed it on the Islamic Jihad military group. Later on, Al-Jazeera refuted their claims and proved that the bombing was done by Israeli aircraft. So far Israel has bombed 4 hospitals including the al-Shifa hospital.
Victims of the al-Shifa Hospital bombing
The strike, according to Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director general of al-Shifa Hospital, wounded four people in the yard, two of them badly. The civilians were hit adjacent to many journalists.
Numerous people died as a result of this, some of whom were seriously injured. The number of people in this compound makes it possible that there was a slaughter here, Abu Salmiya said to Al Jazeera.
They had just attacked a building near the hospital before that. And right now, the hospital is surrounded by intense fighting and bombing.
According to Abu Salmiya, the near-constant blasts near the institution had left patients and medical staff terrified.
“There is seldom a moment that passes without a bombardment near the hospital. He said, “There is fear and anxiety among the medics, patients, and displaced people, and many of the hospital’s windows have been broken.”
“This is a conflict between the hospitals and all Palestinian citizens.”
A man who was hurt was seen lying in a pool of blood on the pavement, and other people could be heard screaming and running for cover in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Al-Qudra said that “direct attacks and bombardments” had also struck two children’s hospitals on Friday: al-Rantisi and al-Nasser.
Indonesian ministry condemns the attack on civilians
The Indonesian Hospital, which is located at the northern end of the enclave and has thousands of injured and displaced Palestinians taking refuge nearby, was destroyed by explosives overnight, according to a report from Indonesia’s foreign ministry.
The ministry released a statement saying, “Indonesia once again condemns the savage attacks on civilians and civilian objects, especially humanitarian facilities in Gaza.”
“This is what the occupation is throwing at hospitals: missile shrapnel,” hospital director Atef al-Kahlout remarked, holding up missile shrapnel.
“Allow the world to attest to the targets of occupation.” The hospital will not be operating in twenty-four hours. It appears that neither the Indonesian Hospital nor the residents of northern Gaza’s tenacity are pleasing the Israeli occupation forces.
Human Rights Watch’s director for Israel and Palestine, Omar Shakir, stated on social media that “no area is a free-fire zone” and that medical institutions need to be secured.
The assault on al-Shifa is the most recent in a slew of known attacks on or close to the hospital in Gaza City in recent days.
Israel bombing an ambulance outside al-Shifa Hospital
According to Palestinian sources, fifteen people were killed last week when an ambulance outside the hospital was bombed by Israel’s forces.
Israeli officials denied claims made by Al Jazeera and Palestinian media on Monday that Israeli commandos had damaged the solar panels that supplied electricity to the medical facility.
Images, drawn maps, and audio recordings that Israeli military officials claim demonstrate how Hamas uses the facility to organize attacks and conceal its fighters have been made public.
According to spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, “Hamas terrorists operate inside and under [al-Shifa] Hospital and other hospitals in Gaza.” These remarks were made last month.
Officials from al-Shifa Hospital, Hamas, and the health ministry have refuted claims that the armed group is concealed within or beneath the complex.
Humanitarian organizations have criticized Israel’s military for ordering the hospital to evacuate multiple times in recent weeks, arguing that hospitals shouldn’t be used as battlegrounds.