The Israeli military has arrived at the entrance of Gaza’s biggest al-Shafa medical facility, with medical personnel cautioning that the number of casualties, including infants, is expected to increase.
The Israeli military has encircled al-Shafa Hospital for multiple days, and physicians within report an inability to attend to patients due to a shortage of fuel for power generators.
Previously, the World Health Organization had noted that Al-Shafa Hospital has become entirely nonfunctional.
Presently, numerous individuals are within the medical facility, and as per a disclosure by Al Jazeera, the Israeli military has designated al-Shafa hospital as the primary objective for the conflict in Gaza.
Al-Shafa Hospital Under Israeli Army Control
As per the Israeli military, gaining command of al-Shafa Medical Center would mean acquiring more than half of the northern Gaza.
As outlined by the Palestinian Ministry of Health, there are presently 650 patients, 500 personnel, and approximately 2500 displaced individuals within al-Shafa Medical Center.
In recent days, the authorities have reported that there are 1500 individuals seeking medical care, 1500 staff members, and 7000 people without homes at Al-Shafa Hospital. This indicates that numerous individuals have departed from the facility thus far.
The representative of the Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that due to the actions of the Israeli forces, a minimum of 32 patients at Al-Shafa hospital have lost their lives in the past three days, including 6 children.
The spokesperson mentioned that Israeli tanks are positioned outside the hospital’s entrance.
He expressed that Israeli snipers and drones are consistently launching attacks at the hospital, creating a situation where doctors and patients cannot move freely within the premises.
As per the spokesperson, “we find ourselves encircled by mortality.”
Israel has requested the relocation of the individuals within the medical facility, but the destination for their transfer remains uncertain.
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Numerous medical facilities and healthcare centers in Gaza have shut down as a result of the Israeli hostilities, and the operational ones are incapable of receiving additional patients.
The UK organization overseeing the pediatric intensive care unit at Al-Shafa Hospital emphasizes that moving critically ill children is an intricate procedure.
It’s important to highlight that there are 45 infants in the incubators at Al-Shafa Hospital, and among them, 6 have passed away.