In the pre-dawn hours of the 40th day of Israel’s brutal genocide in Gaza, Israeli occupation forces committed another atrocity by invading the Shifa Medical Complex. For six consecutive days, the complex had been under siege, and now it was violently stormed.
Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Health Ministry, revealed in a press statement the horrifying details: Dozens of Israeli soldiers barged into the emergency department, and tanks rolled onto the grounds of the medical facility.
Al-Qudra condemned the shooting by Israeli troops within the hospital, a place devoid of any resistance, labeling it a blatant act of terror against both healthcare professionals and patients.
Ahmed Makhlalati, head of the burns department at Shifa, echoed these sentiments, describing the harrowing scene of Israeli tanks and bulldozers invading the hospital grounds. Witnesses reported the chilling sounds of gunfire echoing through the complex.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has squarely held Israel accountable for endangering the lives of staff, patients, and displaced individuals seeking refuge in the complex.
A new, inhumane crime against humanity, medical staff, and patients is being perpetrated by the Israeli forces, according to the Ministry, as they continue to besiege and bombard the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.
Dr. Muhammad Zaqout, the Director General of Gaza Hospitals, confirmed that no resistance was offered from within the hospital during the Israeli incursion.
“The occupation forces fired upon those attempting to use a corridor they declared safe,” Dr. Zaqout stated, highlighting the duplicitous and dangerous tactics employed by the Israeli forces.
The government media office in Gaza warned of a potential massacre by the Israeli army within the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, labeling the invasion a war crime and a crime against humanity. They emphasized that nearly 9,000 individuals, including medical staff, wounded, sick, and displaced people, were present in the hospital at the time.
This office has held Israel, the international community, and the United States fully accountable for the safety of those inside, cautioning against a possible massacre in the hospital.
The Israeli occupation forces, in their relentless aggression, have already committed several massacres against hospitals, medical staff, and ambulances, resulting in over 700 martyrs and wounded.
The Shifa Medical Complex, harboring approximately 1,500 medical staff, around 700 patients, 39 premature babies, and 7,000 displaced individuals, was unexpectedly invaded by Israeli occupation forces.
The continuous bombardment of hospitals in Gaza, particularly in the north, by Israeli forces, is exacerbating an already catastrophic situation, marked by sieges on hospitals and health centres and severe shortages of essential supplies, leading to the deaths of many, including children.
For 40 days, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has claimed the lives of 11,320 Palestinians, including 4,650 children and 3,145 women, with 29,200 injured, most of whom are children and women.
Since the onset of the war, Israel has cut off essential supplies to the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, intensifying their suffering under a siege that has been ongoing since 2006.
This aggression by Israel in the Gaza Strip is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, endangering civilian lives and property and inflicting immense suffering, demanding urgent and decisive international intervention to halt the aggression and protect civilians.
