Israeli ground forces were battling Hamas near Gaza’s biggest hospital on Sunday – as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the all-out offensive was paying off to possibly free nearly 240 people held hostage by the terror group.
Israel Defense Forces began exchanging fire with Hamas fighters over the weekend around Al-Shifa Hospital, where Israel has accused the terrorist organization of protecting a command post through a vast underground tunnel system.
Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said the fighting left the hospital without fuel, resulting in the deaths of three premature babies and four other patients. Lack of power also put 36 other babies at risk of death, he said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, described the situation at the hospital as “appalling and dangerous.”
“It’s been 3 days without electricity, without water and with very poor internet which has affected our ability to provide essential care,” he wrote on X.
“Continuous firing and shelling in the area has worsened the already critical situation. “The world cannot stand by while hospitals, which are supposed to be places of safety, turn into scenes of death, destruction and despair,” added Ghebreyesus.
Al-Shifa Hospital is caught in the middle of the war between Israel and Hamas. via REUTERS
Netanyahu told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Israel had offered to fuel the hospital, but “they turned it down.”
The prime minister also doubled down on his country’s strategy to use military force to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken during the group’s October 7 surprise attack on Israel – saying the effort was now being realized as the IDF continued its ground offensive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the attack as “possible” hostage talks emerged. AP
“We heard that there was an agreement that was going to happen like this or that and then we found out that it was all hokum. But as soon as we started ground operations that started to change,” Netanyahu said of the negotiations.
“That’s one thing that might create a deal and if a deal is available, we’ll talk about it when it’s available,” he added, noting that “a lot” was being discussed.
“We will announce it if it can be achieved,” he said.
The Biden administration confirmed that a “possible deal” for the release of the hostages was being discussed.
Relatives cry after their loved ones were killed during an overnight airstrike in Rafah.AFP via Getty Images
With the deal remaining up in the air, the IDF and Hamas continue to face off in Gaza, with a humanitarian crisis unfolding at Shifa hospital and both sides blaming each other for Palestinian civilians caught in the middle of the fighting.
The IDF said Sunday it would help to evacuate babies from hospitals after the deaths of three newborns, as well as create routes for patients and refugees to escape from Shifa, as well as Rantisi and Nasser hospitals.
“We are obviously careful when it comes to hospitals. But we will also not give immunity to terrorists,” Netanyahu said in an interview on CNN Sunday.
“I think any kind of loss [of life] is a tragedy. And the blame should be placed squarely on Hamas because it prevents them from leaving the war zone, sometimes at gunpoint,” he added.
Beyond the evacuation routes, Gaza officials claim airstrikes continue near hospitals, with recent bombings killing three people, including a doctor.
IDF soldiers continue to make way in their ground offensive in northern Gaza.AP Nothing but rubble remains after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building in Rafah, with civilians caught in the crossfire.AFP via Getty Images
Health Ministry Deputy Secretary Munir al-Boursh told Al Jazeera that the airstrikes also took out several houses adjacent to the hospital complex.
“There are wounded inside the house, and we can’t reach them,” he said on TV, claiming Israeli snipers were firing at any movement from inside the hospital. “We can’t stick our heads out the window.”
Muhammed Zaqout, director of a hospital in Gaza, said the death toll there had not been updated since Friday because officials could not reach the hospital, which was surrounded by Israeli forces and bombardment.
Injured Palestinians are rushed to hospital as Israel agrees to provide evacuation routes at three Gaza medical centers.APAImages/Shutterstock
“The situation is very bad,” he said. “Ambulances can’t reach people under the rubble.”
As of the previous count, the Gaza Ministry of Health estimated that more than 11,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, the majority of them women and minors.
Ghebreyesus, however, noted that after the WHO was able to re-establish contact with the hospital on Sunday, officials confirmed that “tragically, the number of patient deaths has increased significantly.”
It comes as the European Union calls for an “immediate pause in hostilities” to save hospitals from further damage and allow civilians and hostages to escape Gaza safely.
“These hostilities have had a severe impact on hospitals and taken a terrible toll on civilians and medical staff,” the EU said in a statement.
While European officials accused Hamas of using the hospital as a shield against Israeli attacks, they urged the IDF to “establish maximum restrictions” when operating near hospitals.
Israel vowed to continue its attacks in Gaza after Hamas killed 1,200 people in the Jewish state in a rampage on October 7.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
