The director general of Gaza hospitals said that the Israeli army invaded a surgical area of the Al-Shifa hospital complex, during the military operation that began this Wednesday (15).
Speaking to Al Jazeera news channel, Mohammad Zaqout said the Israel Defense Forces interrogated medical staff, patients and their families.
“Some people were forced to take off their clothes,” said the director general, who was not at the hospital but spoke to Al-Shifa doctors. Zaqout also said that Israeli tanks have recently started to leave the complex.
A CNN is not in the complex and cannot independently verify the information.
A senior Israeli defense official told journalists early Wednesday afternoon that he had no information about interrogations – but acknowledged that the operation was still ongoing at the time of his speech.
Newborns in Al-Shifa are in “serious danger”
Newborn babies, who are in Gaza’s largest hospital, are in “grave danger”, the director general of Gaza hospitals told Al Jazeera.
“When sending the evacuation order from the hospital (Al-Shifa) we said numerous times that there is no place to move 40 incubators out of the facility,” said Mohammad Zaqout.
A CNN was unable to independently confirm the director’s statement. But earlier this week, images released by the hospital showed newborn babies taken from incubators and placed side by side on a bed due to power outages amid bombings in Gaza.
“We urgently need a field hospital (in Gaza city),” Zaqout told Al Jazeera.
The Egyptian Ministry of Health is trying to coordinate the transfer of 36 newborn babies with the Red Cross, Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar told CNN on Tuesday (14).
The minister said that Egypt has ambulances equipped with portable ventilators waiting at the border to receive the babies, who can be immediately transferred to the country’s hospitals.
However, Zaqout reinforced that “the mechanism (for transferring patients to Egypt) is extremely slow”, claiming that “the lists of transferred patients are being rejected (by Israel)”.
On Wednesday (15), the Israeli army said that the military delivered incubators and medical supplies to the hospital. A CNN is not on site and has not been able to confirm this claim.
A CNN was unable to contact Al-Shifa hospital due to lack of access to communication.
WHO “lost contact” with Al-Shifa hospital staff
The World Health Organization (WHO) has “lost contact again” with the medical team at Al-Shifa hospital, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
“Reports of a military incursion into Al-Shifa hospital are extremely worrying. We lost contact with healthcare professionals again. We are extremely concerned about their safety and that of their patients,” said Ghebreyesus.
Also on Wednesday (15), the Red Cross described the reports heard from people in Al-Shifa as “very worrying”.
“All measures must be taken to avoid the impact of any military activity on patients, doctors and civilians. They are protected by international humanitarian law and must be spared any harm,” International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokeswoman Alyona Synenko told CNN. Synenko also stated that the ICRC has no staff in Al-Shifa.
About Israel’s operation
Israel said the army launched a “targeted” operation against Hamas on Wednesday morning (15), at Al-Shifa hospital. Thousands of people used the medical unit as a shelter.
Conditions at the hospital, which has run out of fuel and is no longer considered operational, have deteriorated rapidly in recent days. Amid intense fighting, doctors warned of a “catastrophic” situation for patients, staff and people sheltering there.
This Wednesday (15), Israel again accused Hamas of using the large hospital complex for military purposes. Hamas denies the allegations – CNN cannot verify either side’s claims.
*With information from Clare Sebastian and Mostafa Salem, CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
