Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, is surrounded by Israeli forces, trapping thousands of injured and displaced people inside. The hospital is running low on medical supplies and food, and ambulances are unable to come and go. Israeli snipers and artillery are targeting anyone outside the hospital, and the area has been described as a “battlefield”.
The escalating Israeli bombardment has already killed at least 13 people and wounded several others, with Israeli tanks also closing in on at least four other hospitals in northern Gaza. Health officials and the WHO have expressed grave concern for the safety of patients and health workers in the hospitals, calling for immediate protection.
Israel claims that the hospital is used by Hamas as a command centre, which both the hospital staff and Hamas have denied. The WHO has confirmed that half of Gaza’s hospitals are not functioning, and two-thirds of its primary care facilities are out of commission due to the fighting.
The death toll continues to rise on both sides, with at least 11,078 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza and more than 1,200 people killed, mostly civilians, by Hamas in surprise attacks on Israel. The situation in Gaza’s hospitals remains dire, with innocent lives under imminent threat.