39 Newborns Perish in Gaza As Al-Shifa Hospital Forced to Suspend Operations
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Gaza health ministry's spokesperson confirmed the tragic deaths of 39 newborn babies following the suspension of operations at the Al Shifa hospital complex, due to Israeli attacks, on Saturday.
"As a result, 39 newborn babies died inside incubators, where there are 45 babies," stated Ashraf Al-Qidra, the spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza, in remarks to Reuters.
"The situation is worse than anyone can imagine. We are besieged inside the Al Shifa Medical Complex, and the occupation has targeted most of the buildings inside," Qidra conveyed via telephone.
Israel’s military claimed that it had been engaging with Palestinian resistance fighters in and around Gaza City, alleging the placement of command centers under Shifa hospital and others, designating them as potential military targets.
Palestinian resistance fighters denied using civilians as human shields, emphasizing that Israeli strikes on or near hospitals jeopardized patients, medical staff, and evacuees seeking refuge in and around these structures.
"The occupation forces are firing on people moving inside the complex, limiting our ability to move from one department to another. Some people tried to leave the hospital and they were fired at," Qidra added, highlighting the absence of electricity and internet.
Aid agency Doctors Without Borders expressed extreme concern about the safety of patients and medical staff at Al-Shifa hospital, noting a significant escalation in attacks against the facility.
"Our staff at the hospital have reported a catastrophic situation inside just a few hours ago," the organization stated online.
Maher Sharif, a nurse en route to Al-Shifa hospital when it was struck, recounted the harrowing scene, describing people throwing themselves to the ground. "I saw dead bodies, including women and children," she said, according to Doctors Without Borders.
Gaza resident Hanane shared the distressing experience of his daughter being treated at Al-Shifa after being wounded. The ongoing explosions caused her to "start shaking," he reported.
With 20 out of Gaza's 36 hospitals no longer functioning, according to the UN's humanitarian agency, the dire situation underscores the urgent need for international attention and intervention.
The Gaza health ministry said that Israeli bombardment has resulted in the deaths of over 11,000 people, predominantly civilians and many of them children.
