Fighting Intensifies around al-Shifa Hospital
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Mustafa Sarsour, the sole remaining journalist inside al-Shifa Hospital, described the dire situation as drones targeted individuals moving within or outside the al-Shifa Hospital compound, with one family tragically killed when attempting to leave the premises.
"No one is able to leave the hospital compound due to the ferocious fighting, and all roads leading to the hospital had been fully or partially destroyed," Sarsour reported.
"We've started to lose lives. Patients are dying by the minute, victims and wounded are also dying – even babies in the incubators," Muhammad Abu Salmiya the director of al-Shifa Hospital, conveyed the escalating crisis from Inside the besieged facility.
"The hospital compound is cordoned off, and the buildings are targeted. The Israeli forces are outside, preventing any person from moving," he added. "Medical crew members attempting to assist babies in the incubator were shot and killed. Victims already injured suffered bone injuries from sniper gunfire."
"The hospital is without power, internet, water, and medical supplies. We are minutes away from imminent death, stranded and with no response to our pleas for help," he continued.
Gaza Deputy Health Minister Dr. Youssef Abu Alreesh, within al-Shifa Hospital under heavy Israeli fire, added that all generators inside the hospital were shut down and all power sources were out as there are still 39 newborns in the incubators fighting against death.
"Snipers and drones target and kill any moving person. An engineering team member was hit by a sniper, paralyzed, and is now near death," Alreesh said, adding, "A part of the hospital was shelled, and a fire threatens the entire compound. Families attempting to leave were targeted, lying dead outside the hospital."
"We are totally stranded, cut off from the outside world, and left without medical resources. Ferocious gunfire is heard within the hospital vicinity," he continued. "Blood is everywhere, on the floor. We cannot even clean it. The Israeli killing machine continues, but the world seems indifferent."
Monir al-Bashr, the director of the health ministry in Gaza, spoke about the distressing situation of Palestinians forced to use their hands to bury bodies within the hospital compound to prevent epidemics.
He emphasized the lack of equipment and machinery for the task, stating, "These bodies have been lying on the street for days."
Earlier on Saturday, Medical charity MSF International reported a significant intensification of Israeli attacks on the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, describing the situation as "catastrophic," with staff facing dire circumstances.
MSF also expressed ongoing concern for the safety of its staff at the hospital, stating that it remains unable to establish contact with them.
Israeli attacks have intensified around several hospitals in northern Gaza with reports of direct hits and casualties among patients and displaced Palestinians. Israeli troops continue their advance, with Gaza's Ministry of Health stating that at least four hospitals are being encircled by Israeli tanks.
According to the World Health Organization, 36 health facilities, including 22 hospitals, have been damaged since the conflict's onset. Gaza's Ministry of Health reported at least 18 hospitals out of service, with 57 ambulances damaged.
The toll of the conflict in Gaza stands at 11,078 people killed, including 4,506 children, since Israel began its offensive on October 7.
