Israeli army says it killed Hamas members at Al Shifa hospital

Israeli soldiers said they killed several Hamas fighters at the start of an operation at Al Shifa hospital this Wednesday (15), where thousands of Palestinian civilians – patients, displaced people and medical staff – were trapped during weeks of fighting.

Israel said it launched the attack because the radical Islamist group has a command center under Al Shifa and uses connected tunnels to conceal military operations and hold hostages. Hamas denies it.

“Before entering the hospital, our forces were confronted with explosive devices and terrorist squads, followed by fighting in which the terrorists were killed,” the Israeli military said, without specifying exactly where the shooting took place.

Israeli Army Radio said five fighters were killed and weapons were found inside the Al Shifa compound.

See also: Israel carries out operation against Hamas in hospital

Global calls for a humanitarian ceasefire have grown in recent days as Al Shifa has become the focus of Israel’s war against Hamas, and fears have grown for thousands of people trapped there on the front lines of the conflict.

Earlier on Wednesday, doctor Munir al-Bursh, director general of the health ministry of the Hamas-led administration in Gaza, told Al Jazeera television that Israeli forces had invaded the western side of the medical complex and believed that a explosion occurred inside the hospital.

The surgery and emergency departments were raided first, Mohammed Zaqout, director of hospitals at the ministry, told the broadcaster.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the situation in Al Shifa.

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “Based on intelligence information and an operational need, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specific area of ​​Shifa hospital.”

Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN that the hospital and the complex were for Hamas “a central hub of its operations, perhaps even the beating heart and perhaps even a center of gravity.”

The US said on Tuesday that its own intelligence supported Israel’s conclusions.

Hamas said on Wednesday that the US announcement effectively gave a “green light” for Israel to storm the hospital. The group said it holds Israel and US President Joe Biden responsible for the operation.

“We do not support airstrikes on a hospital and we do not want to see a shooting at a hospital where innocent, defenseless, sick people trying to get the medical care they deserve are caught in the crossfire,” said a spokesperson for the US National Security Council. White House in statement.

Israeli forces fought fierce street battles against Hamas fighters over the past 10 days, before advancing into the center of Gaza city and surrounding Al Shifa.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that two soldiers were killed yesterday in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, bringing to 48 the confirmed number of Israeli deaths since the start of the ground offensive.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in retaliation for the militants’ cross-border attack on Israel on October 7. Israel says Hamas killed 1,200 people in the attack and took more than 240 hostages.

In the West Bank, a separate Palestinian enclave not controlled by Hamas, Palestinian Authority Health Minister Mai Alkaila said Israel was “committing a new crime against humanity, medical staff and patients by besieging” Al Shifa.

“We hold the occupation forces fully responsible for the lives of medical personnel, patients and displaced people in Al Shifa,” Alkaila said in a statement.

Al Shifa Hospital

Al Shifa is a sprawling complex of buildings and courtyards a few hundred meters from Gaza City’s fishing port. The buildings on the western side of the complex, which the Gaza official said was the site of the attack, include the internal medicine and dialysis departments.

Hamas says 650 patients and 5,000 to 7,000 other civilians are trapped on hospital grounds, under constant fire from Israeli snipers and drones. Amid shortages of fuel, water and supplies, it says 40 patients have died in recent days.

Thirty-six babies were left in the neonatal ward after three died. With no fuel for the generators that powered the incubators, the babies were kept as warm as possible, lined up eight to a bed.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday: “We can confirm that incubators, baby food and medical supplies brought by Israeli IDF tanks have successfully arrived at Shifa hospital. Our medical teams and Arabic-speaking soldiers are on the ground to ensure these supplies reach those in need.”

Palestinians trapped in the hospital dug a mass grave on Tuesday to bury patients who died and there was no plan to evacuate the babies, despite Israel announcing an offer to send portable incubators, said Health Ministry spokesman Qidra. of Gaza.

Qidra said there were around 100 decomposed bodies inside and there was no way to get them out.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply disturbed by the “dramatic loss of life” in hospitals, his spokesman said. “In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” the spokesperson told journalists.

Images: Israel releases images of alleged hospital in Gaza where Hamas held hostages

Source: CNN Brasil

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