Israel launches strikes close to the main hospital in Gaza

In the past, the IDF claimed that Hamas ran a command centre beneath the Shifa Hospital.

Roads leading to the Shifa Hospital in Gaza were demolished on Sunday by Israeli airstrikes, according to the Associated Press. It is estimated that tens of thousands of citizens are taking refuge on the hospital’s grounds.

The primary referral hospital for the Palestinian territory, most of the roads leading to it were destroyed by the strikes, residents of Gaza told the news agency.

The local told AP that Israel’s bombardment during the last two days had been “the most violent and intense” since the start of the war, adding that “it seems they want to cut off the area.”

The northern portion of the strip is home to Gaza City, where you can find the Shifa Hospital. Although Israeli aeroplanes have struck this ostensibly safe territory as well, levelling homes in the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, the Israeli authorities have regularly ordered city residents to move to the south of the enclave in order to avoid the airstrikes.

A large number of Gaza City residents who choose to remain behind have taken up residence on hospital grounds, particularly the Shifa facility. “Tens of thousands” of people are reportedly holed up at the Shifa complex, which is also having trouble treating the large number of patients there, according to the Associated Press.

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According to claims made by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday, the terrorist organisation has built a complex system of tunnels and bunkers beneath the Shifa Hospital, designating it as “the main headquarters for Hamas’ terrorist activity.” The IDF issued a video footage in which a Hamas fighter under interrogation acknowledges the existence of the base, along with a computer-animated film that purportedly depicts the design of these tunnels. Nevertheless, it’s unclear if the insurgent was under pressure when they spoke.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesman, told reporters on Saturday that “in this war, all options are on the table” and declined to rule out destroying the hospital.

According to a statement released by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society early on Sunday morning, Israel has also threatened to strike Gaza City’s Al-Quds hospital. According to the group, the facility was told to “immediately evacuate” because it was “going to be bombarded” by Israeli forces. Shortly after, hospital administration defied the evacuation order, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA.

When questioned by the AP, the IDF declined to comment on the evacuation order or the strikes near the Shifa Hospital.

Israel severed the final phone and internet connections to the Gaza enclave on Friday night by intensifying its bombing campaign against it. Following the bombing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the start of a “second stage” in the Israeli-Palestinian war, and the IDF responded by deploying tanks and infantry to the strip.

The most recent statistics available from the Gaza Health Ministry show that since Israel started its air campaign, over 8,000 Palestinians—including 3,342 children—have died in Gaza. Approximately 1,400 people were killed by Hamas missile strikes and incursions on Israeli land earlier this month, according to the IDF.