A surgical building at the Al Shifa Medical Complex in northern Gaza is engulfed in flames following Israeli missile strikes. The incident occurred after the Israel Defense Forces initiated a military operation in the hospital's vicinity. Dr. Abdullah Mohammed, present at the scene, reported that the building, which houses operating rooms for various departments, was hit four times, leaving it crowded with wounded individuals unable to move.
The IDF claimed that the operation was in response to intelligence indicating that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas terrorists for terrorist activities. However, this assertion has not been independently verified.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed multiple casualties and injuries, including cases of suffocation among displaced women and children seeking shelter within the complex. Rescue efforts have been hampered by the intensity of the fire and ongoing Israeli attacks, preventing access to trapped individuals.
Witnesses in the Al Rimal neighborhood near the medical complex reported a significant presence of tanks in the area, particularly around Al Shifa hospital. This incident is not the first time that Gaza's medical facilities have been targeted by the Israeli military, with previous raids on Al-Shifa hospital in November and ongoing accusations of Hamas using hospitals as a cover for its operations.
Israel's actions against medical facilities have sparked international condemnation, with calls for the protection of healthcare workers, infrastructure, and patients from the impact of armed conflict.
