Israeli army denies encirclement of clinic
In addition to the actual fighting in the Gaza Strip, Israel is once again fighting for public opinion: army spokesman Hagari calls reports that the IDF has surrounded and fired on the largest hospital in the north false. Civilians could still leave the hospital.
The Israeli army has rejected accusations that its soldiers are allegedly shelling the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip. "In the past few hours, false information has been spread that we are surrounding and attacking Al-Shaifa hospital. These are false reports," said army spokesman Daniel Hagari in the evening. "Hamas is lying about what is happening in the hospitals," Hagari added. The radical Islamic Palestinian organization had already claimed on Friday evening that the army had attacked the Al-Shifa hospital. However, checks had shown "that it was a poorly targeted rocket fired by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip".
The army spokesman emphasized that there was still "a fixed passage to enter or leave the hospital". Another hospital, the Rantisi Children's Hospital, had meanwhile been "evacuated" after "a terrorist" who had been holding a thousand people there had been eliminated.
Doctors Without Borders: Situation catastrophic
The aid organization Doctors Without Borders had previously described the situation in the Al-Shifa hospital as "catastrophic". Witnesses at the hospital told the AFP news agency on the phone that there was constant 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 Israeli army confirmed that there were clashes with Hamas fighters near the hospital. The radical Islamic Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad also stated that its fighters were involved in "violent clashes" with Israeli soldiers in Gaza, "especially in the vicinity of the Al-Shaifa complex". Israel repeatedly accuses the radical Islamic Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, of using hospitals as hideouts and command centers and abusing civilians as human shields, which Hamas denies.
Despite the ongoing hostility towards Israel, international condemnation of the alleged encirclement and shelling of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza by the Israeli army has been rising. This hospital, being the largest in the north Gaza Strip, provides essential medical services to thousands of civilians. Misinformation regarding the Israeli war strategies has led to serious concerns, calling for an immediate investigation to ensure the safety and well-being of Gaza's inhabitants.
Source: www.ntv.de
