Israel-Hamas war Day 41: Israel storms ‘nearly cemetery’ Gaza hospital; US intel confirms Hamas presence | 10 updates
- Israel-Hamas war Day 41: The United States has also backed the key Israeli justification for military moves on the Gaza hospital, saying the Palestinian militants have a command centre at the Al-Shifa hospital
Israel-Hamas war Day 41: Israeli forces said on Wednesday they have entered Gaza's largest hospital Al-Shifa and carrying out a targeted attack on the Hamas command centre which it believes is located below thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians, raising concerns about the safety of the civilian population. Heavy and persistent gunfire has surrounded Al-Shifa hospital for days as Israel alleges the presence of Hamas militants beneath, risking the lives of Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire between Israeli forces and the claimed target.
Al-Shifa hospital, which has been at the center of the standoff between Israeli forces and Hamas militants for days, houses thousands of ailing kids and sheltering civilians in the wake of the war. The standoff continued even as the Palestinians remained trapped inside the hospital, with supplies of fuel, food and electricity dwindling.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it was carrying out an operation based on intel information. “Based on intelligence information and an operational necessity, IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital.” Israel-Hamas war LIVE updates
Meanwhile, the United States has also backed the key Israeli justification for military moves on the Gaza hospital, saying the Palestinian militants have a command center at the Al-Shifa hospital.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: 10 UPDATES
- Hamas has rejected and slammed the US claims of using hospitals as cover, saying that Washington's statement was enabling Israel "to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals" in Gaza.
- Hamas has also accused Washington of helping to fuel the conflict further. "These statements give a green light to the Israeli occupation to commit further brutal massacres targeting hospitals, with the goal of destroying Gaza's healthcare system and displacing Palestinians," the militant group said in a statement.
- The United Nations estimates at least 2,300 people -- patients, staff and displaced civilians -- are inside and may be unable to escape because of fierce fighting near the facility. Also Read | Israel Hamas war: Kashmiri woman, daughter evacuated from Gaza, says all bombarded in seconds, 'no safe place for us'
- Meanwhile, even as hundreds of civilians continue to die in the Israel-Hamas war, the Israeli forces have said they are not targeting hospitals but have vowed to destroy Hamas which was responsible for the October 7 attack on the Israeli territory, killing an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 240 hostages to Gaza.
- Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that Hamas had “lost control” of northern Gaza. Also Read | Israel-Hamas War Highlights: Hamas suspends hostage talks over Al Shifa Hospital bombing by Israel
- After days without refrigeration, the hospital staff dug a mass grave to bury more than 120 bodies, including those of civilians and patients as Israeli forces continued to encircle the hospital. The crisis has pushed the entire population to seek refuge in southern Gaza.
- Since the October 7 attack on the Israeli territory, more than 11,200 people, including Hamas militants, have lost their lives and about 2,700 civilians are missing.
- World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier has said that the hospital has turned into “nearly a cemetery”.
- Gaza health military has said that 40 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa’s emergency generator ran out of fuel. 36 infants face the risk of death since there is no electricity to run the incubators.
- Hamas' proposal to evacuate the hospital under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross fell on deaf ears. Even though Israel has said that it is willing to let the civilians evacuate, some Palestinians have said that the IDF is firing at the evacuees.
(With agency inputs)
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Business NewsNewsIsrael-Hamas war Day 41: Israel storms ‘nearly cemetery’ Gaza hospital; US intel confirms Hamas presence | 10 updates
First Published:15 Nov 2023, 07:46 AM IST
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