Israel evacuates babies from Al-Shifa hospital
Fierce fighting is raging between Israeli soldiers and Hamas in the area around the Al-Shifa hospital. Hundreds of patients are in danger, Israel wants to help with the evacuation of babies to a safe clinic.
The Israeli army has announced its assistance in the evacuation of babies from the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The hospital staff had asked the military "that tomorrow we help move the babies in the pediatric ward to a safer hospital," said army spokesman Daniel Hagari. "We will provide the necessary support."
Earlier, the Israeli medical organization Physicians for Human Rights Israel had reported that two premature babies had died due to power outages in the neonatal intensive care unit at Al-Shifa Hospital, and that 37 other premature babies were "in real danger of dying".
The surgeon Mohammed Obeid confirmed the death of the two newborns and reported that an adult patient had also died due to the failure of his ventilator. "We want someone to give us a guarantee that they can evacuate the patients, because we have about 600 inpatients," he said in an audio message released by the aid organization Doctors Without Borders.
Witnesses at the hospital told the AFP news agency over the phone that there was continuous gunfire, air strikes and artillery fire near the hospital complex. Shots and explosions were heard throughout the day via a live AFP camera installed near the hospital.
The largest clinic in the Gaza Strip is out of order, according to a doctor. "There is no more electricity," said the doctor at Al-Shifa Hospital, Ghassan Abu Sitta. Rockets had also hit the site. "Most of the staff have left the hospital." The injured who were able to leave, he said. According to him, the seriously injured are still being cared for by a core medical team. The information cannot yet be independently verified.
Hospitals as hideouts and command centers
Israel repeatedly accuses the radical Islamic group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, of using hospitals as hideouts and command centers and abusing civilians as human shields, which the militant Palestinian organization denies.
With its massive attacks in the densely populated Gaza Strip, the Israeli army is responding to the unprecedented attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas. Hundreds of Islamists invaded Israel on October 7 and committed atrocities mainly against civilians, including many children. According to updated Israeli figures, 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 240 people were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Israel then declared war on Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, and targeted the Palestinian organization in the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, which cannot be independently verified, more than 11,000 people have been killed since then, including 4,500 children.
The evacuation of babies from the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, located in the Gaza Strip, is being facilitated by the Israeli army due to the ongoing conflict between Israeli soldiers and Hamas in the area. This move comes after reports of power outages in the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital, leading to the death of two premature babies and putting 37 others in danger.
Despite the Israeli military's accusations of Hamas using hospitals as hideouts and command centers, the Israeli army has agreed to assist in the evacuation of vulnerable patients, demonstrating a distinction between military targets and civilian areas during the Israel war in the Gaza Strip.
Source: www.ntv.de
