"Israel has launched simultaneous attacks on several hospitals in the last few hours.", the spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Health told Al Jazeera, Ashraf Al-Qidra.
By Massimiliano D'Elia
Gaza officials told Reuters that Israel launched a series of air strikes near three hospitals in the early hours of this morning, putting the already strained health system to the test. Among the 2,2 million people in Gaza there are around 50.000 pregnant women, 5.500 of whom are expected to give birth in the coming weeks, say international organizations in Gaza. Senior Palestinian officials, who report to the Ministry of Health, have updated the death toll which yesterday reached the figure of 10.812 unit.
"With attacks and fighting ongoing in the vicinity of Al Shifa, we are gravely concerned for the well-being of thousands of civilians, including many children, seeking medical care and shelter,” said Human Rights Watch on the X.
Al Qidra specified that Israel targeted the courtyard of Gaza's largest hospital, theAl Shifa and two children's hospitals, Al-Rantisi e Al Nasr. The Indonesian Foreign Ministry declared, however, that during the night there were strong explosions near the Indonesian hospital which was partially damaged. The hospital is located near the coastal strip of Gaza.
Palestinian media have published a video from Al Shifa hospital showing the consequences of an Israeli attack on a car park where displaced Palestinians were taking refuge. Naturally, these images will need to be verified because an important disinformation campaign using sophisticated artificial intelligence software is underway.
The Israeli military campaign, which has now lasted a month, has had a significant impact on hospitals in Gaza because for days medical supplies, drinking water and fuel to power the generators have been running low. Gaza's Health Ministry said 18 of Gaza's 35 hospitals and 40 other health centers were out of service due to shelling damage or fuel shortages.
The Israeli military said it has evidence that Hamas is using Al Shifa and other hospitals, such as the Indonesian hospital, to hide command posts and access points to a vast network of tunnels under Gaza. Tel Aviv's army also said it did not target civilians and had allowed some wounded Palestinian civilians to cross into Egypt for treatment.
The Israeli military advance in the center of Gaza, which brought the tanks to about 1,2 km from the largest hospital (Al Shifa), raises strong doubts for observers and analysts on the respect of the rules of international law that require the protection of hospitals, medical centers and refugee camps.
Yesterday the president of the United States Joe Biden stated in a post on X that Israel has “the obligation to distinguish between terrorists and civilians and to fully respect international law”.
Also yesterday the White House declared that Israel agreed to suspend military operations in parts of northern Gaza for four hours a day although, at the moment, there is no sign of a decrease in fighting.
"The pauses, which would allow people to flee along two humanitarian corridors and could be used to release hostages, were significant first steps in this regard.", the White House spokesperson for national security said John Kirby.
The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted that the breaks would be piecemeal, without confirming there was an agreed plan for recurring breaks.
Asked whether there will be a pause in the fighting, Netanyahu told the Fox News channel: “No. The fighting continues against the enemy Hamas, but in specific places, for a certain period of a few hours here or a few hours there, we want to facilitate the safe passage of civilians away from the fighting zone and we are doing so."
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