Palestinian medics have expressed heightened fears for the lives of hundreds of patients and medical staff at Al Shifa, Gaza’s largest hospital. The medical facility has been completely cut off from the outside world for more than a day, following the entry of Israeli forces as part of a broader offensive aimed at eradicating Hamas militants from the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli commandos, who remain engaged in an ongoing search operation within Al Shifa, have justified their presence by citing the alleged existence of well-hidden terrorist infrastructure within the hospital complex. While Israel has released images purporting to show rifles and flak jackets discovered on the premises, no evidence has been presented to substantiate claims of an extensive underground Hamas command headquarters operating in tunnels beneath the hospital.
Human Rights Watch has issued a cautionary statement, emphasizing the special protections afforded to hospitals under international humanitarian law. Louis Charbonneau, the watchdog’s U.N. Director, pointed out that these protections can only be waived if it is proven that harmful acts have been conducted from the hospital premises—an assertion for which the Israeli government has yet to provide evidence.
Muhammad Abu Salamiya, the director of Al Shifa Complex, expressed the urgent plight of the hospital, stating that it has been “under occupation authority for 48 hours, and every minute that passes, more patients will die.” He conveyed a grim reality, declaring, “We are waiting for a slow death.”
Efforts to shed light on the situation within Al Shifa have faced obstacles. Israeli forces brought a BBC film crew into the hospital overnight, showcasing rifles they claimed were found on the premises. However, the British broadcaster reported that Israeli escorts prevented any interaction with patients or staff, limiting the scope of information gathered.
Gaza’s health ministry reported disturbing actions by Israeli soldiers within the hospital grounds, including the removal of bodies and the destruction of parked cars. Despite these activities, staff and patients are reportedly not being allowed to leave. Ashraf Al-Qidra, the ministry spokesman, highlighted the dire circumstances within Al Shifa, indicating a lack of water, food, and baby milk. The hospital, already packed with 650 patients and around 7,000 people displaced by weeks of Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments, is grappling with a severe shortage of basic necessities.
The situation has been exacerbated by a complete breakdown of telecommunications in Gaza. Paltel and Jawwal, Gaza’s main telecommunications companies, announced a complete outage due to the depletion of energy sources supplying the network. As a result, contact with Al Shifa and other affected areas has been severed, further hampering communication and evacuation efforts.
Dr. Nahed Abu Taaema, director of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, described the predicament as “very dangerous and catastrophic,” with ICU patients and premature babies facing imminent danger. The World Health Organization (WHO) is attempting to coordinate a medical evacuation for patients from Al Shifa but faces challenges due to security concerns and the inability to establish communication with anyone inside the hospital.
As the humanitarian crisis unfolds within Gaza, where all hospitals in the northern part of the enclave have effectively been shut down by Israeli forces, international concern continues to mount. The Israeli claim of a Hamas command center within Al Shifa remains contentious, with calls for transparency and evidence to support such serious allegations. The ongoing conflict in Gaza has left two-thirds of the population homeless, according to the United Nations, with the situation becoming increasingly dire as Israel’s offensive against Hamas persists.
