Fighting causes 'panic' in Gaza hospitals

The Israeli military denies there was a siege at Al-Shifa hospital and has repeatedly accused Hamas of using medical facilities as command centres and hideouts - a charge the Palestinian militant group denies.

Israeli forces continue to attack Gaza on both the ground and from the air. Photo: AP

Gunfights and shelling continued non-stop.

Heavy gunfire and shelling around the compound took place as Israel advanced deep into Gaza City in an offensive aimed at eradicating Hamas from the territory it rules.

“The gunfire never stopped, the airstrikes and artillery fire never let up. There were dozens of bodies around the complex that no one could reach,” said an anonymous witness.

Although tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting, many are still taking shelter in hospitals in northern Gaza, which have been repeatedly hit by explosions and gunfire.

"The hospital is surrounded, there is no option to take the bodies and wounded lying outside. There is no movement in or out of the hospital," Doctors for Human Rights Israel quoted doctors at Al-Shifa hospital as saying.

The Israeli doctors added that due to the lack of electricity, the neonatal intensive care unit stopped working and two premature babies died, putting the lives of 37 others in danger.

“The situation in Al-Shifa is absolutely dire,” said Ann Taylor, head of the Palestinian Territories mission for the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

According to new Israeli figures, the death toll from the cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7 has been revised down from 1,400 to 1,200 people, mostly civilians, who took about 240 hostages.

According to the latest figures from the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, Israel's offensive has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly civilians and thousands of children.

The suffering in Gaza has prompted growing calls for a five-week ceasefire to protect civilian lives and allow humanitarian aid into the densely populated territory.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Israel had the right to defend itself, but called on it to stop attacking civilians in Gaza, saying there was “no justification” for doing so.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back, saying that responsibility for any harm to civilians lay with Hamas. “Israel does everything in its power to avoid harming civilians and calls on them to leave the combat zone,” he said.

Panic in hospitals

In addition to the clashes around Al-Shifa, the situation is dire at other hospitals in northern Gaza, where Palestinians have sought refuge from heavy gunfire and shelling.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said fighting around Al-Quds hospital had created "a state of extreme panic and fear" among displaced people sheltering there.

Panic and fear are taking hold in hospitals in Gaza. Photo: AP

The Indonesian hospital director said fuel shortages forced the facility to cut power to its desalination plant, medical scanners and elevators. “The hospital is only operating at 30-40% capacity,” said Atef Al-Kahlot.

One injured boy at an Indonesian hospital, Youssef Al-Najjar, said he was waiting for surgery but the machines needed had stopped working due to a power outage. “I was very thirsty but was not allowed to eat or drink until the surgery was over,” he said.

The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said 20 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were "no longer functional".

Fighting has left several streets in Gaza in ruins. The bodies of about 50 people killed in the attack on Al-Buraq school in Gaza City have been taken to Al-Shifa hospital, the hospital director said on Friday.

Israel said on Saturday its forces carried out an air strike on a school that killed a Hamas company commander, accusing the group of using civilians as "human shields".

The exodus south of Gaza has seen tens of thousands flee in recent days. According to OCHA, an estimated 30,000 more Palestinians have headed south through the evacuation corridor opened by the Israeli army on Friday.

However, the UN agency said, "several explosions have been reported in that 'corridor', resulting in deaths and injuries." According to the UN Palestinian Refugee Agency (UNRWA), nearly 1.6 million people have been displaced since October 7 - about two-thirds of Gaza's population.

Huy Hoang (according to AFP, Reuters, AP)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/israel-va-hamas-giao-tranh-ac-liet-cac-benh-vien-o-gaza-trong-tinh-trang-hoang-loan-post272062.html