Israeli troops were closing in on major hospitals in Gaza City on Friday, an Israeli official said, as battles with Hamas engulfed more of the city and fears rose that patients and sheltering civilians with nowhere to flee could be harmed by Israeli strikes and running street battles.
The director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the city’s largest, said its compound was struck four times on Friday, killing seven people. Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli tanks had surrounded two adjacent hospitals in another area, trapping scores of patients and refugees inside.
A spokesman for the Israeli military, Richard Hecht, said on Friday night: “We’re aware of the sensitivity of the hospitals. That’s why we’re slowly closing in on them.”
Mr. Hecht said that Israeli forces do not fire on hospitals, but added, “if we see Hamas terrorists firing from hospitals, we’ll do what we need to do.” He also said that Israeli troops were “closing in” on Hamas in northern Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly ordered hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate along with residents in the area, and has maintained that Hamas hides military operations within hospitals, and in tunnels underneath them, using civilians as human shields.
Israel has struck sites including apartment buildings, mosques and markets, calling them legitimate targets used by Hamas’s military wing. Hospitals have also been hit, with strikes damaging medical centers and clinics across the coastal enclave. Last week, Israel struck an ambulance near Al-Shifa’s entrance, saying it was “being used by a Hamas terrorist cell.” Many displaced Gazans flooded into hospitals and schools, hoping for safety from the relentless, devastating bombing.
Videos verified by The New York Times showed what appeared to be at least one projectile flying into the Al-Shifa’s courtyard and striking an area where displaced Gazans were resting overnight. Screams could be immediately heard. One man was recorded lying on the ground in pain, his leg apparently mangled.
The director of Al-Shifa, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said that four strikes had landed in various parts of the hospital complex between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time on Friday, including the maternity building and the outpatient clinic, killing seven people.
He said that operating rooms and intensive care units were at full capacity and that doctors and nurses had been forced to leave the sides of dozens of seriously wounded people.
“If conditions were better than this, we could have saved their lives,” Dr. Abu Salmiya said. From the hospital, he said, armed clashes and powerful explosions could be heard.
The Israeli military said the projectile that hit the hospital’s courtyard had been fired by Palestinian militants at Israeli troops. Officials did not immediately respond to request for comment about the other three strikes Dr. Abu Salmiya described.
Doctors at Al-Shifa have faced dire conditions, treating a growing number of patients even as medical supplies and fuel needed to power generators have dwindled.
“At this point, there’s just so little we can do for the wounded we receive, only the bare minimum,” said Dr. Abu Salmiya. “There are people who need complex operations, but we can’t provide them, because we simply don’t have the capacity or the medication.”
The Israeli military has repeatedly singled out Al-Shifa in statements in recent weeks, saying that the hospital gives cover to a Hamas military compound. The Israeli military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, told reporters last month that Hamas “does its command and control in different departments of the hospital.”
Hamas officials and Al-Shifa administrators have denied the accusations. Dr. Abu Salmiya said international organizations were welcome to investigate the site and see if they could find any evidence of Hamas’s presence there.
Inside Al-Shifa itself, staff members were preparing for the worst, including a potential Israeli ground raid into the hospital, Dr. Abu Salmiya said. They have no immediate plans to totally evacuate the complex, he added.
“We will stay with our patients,” he said.
Israeli troops were closing in on major hospitals in Gaza City on Friday, as battles with Hamas intensified. There were concerns that patients and civilians taking shelter in these hospitals could be harmed by Israeli strikes and street battles.
The director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza City, reported that the hospital compound was hit four times on Friday, resulting in the deaths of seven people. Additionally, the health ministry in Gaza stated that Israeli tanks had surrounded two nearby hospitals, trapping numerous patients and refugees inside.
Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the Israeli military, acknowledged the sensitivity of the hospitals and explained that the troops were gradually closing in on them. He emphasized that Israeli forces do not target hospitals, but if Hamas militants were using hospitals as firing positions, appropriate action would be taken. He also mentioned that Israeli troops were advancing towards Hamas in northern Gaza.
Israel has issued repeated evacuation orders for hospitals in northern Gaza, claiming that Hamas uses hospitals and tunnels beneath them for military purposes while using civilians as human shields.
Israeli strikes have targeted various locations including apartment buildings, mosques, and markets, considering them legitimate targets used by Hamas’s military wing. Hospitals have also been hit, resulting in damage to medical facilities and clinics throughout the coastal enclave. Last week, Israel targeted an ambulance near the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital, alleging it was being used by a Hamas terrorist cell. Many displaced Gazans sought refuge in hospitals and schools, hoping to find safety from the relentless bombings.
Verified videos showed at least one projectile hitting the courtyard of Al-Shifa Hospital, where displaced Gazans were resting. The impact caused immediate screams, and one man was seen lying on the ground in pain with an apparent leg injury.
According to Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the complex was struck four times between 1 a.m. and 10 a.m. local time on Friday, resulting in seven deaths. The strikes targeted various parts of the hospital, including the maternity building and outpatient clinic.
Due to the strikes, operating rooms and intensive care units at Al-Shifa Hospital reached full capacity, forcing doctors and nurses to leave the sides of critically wounded patients. Dr. Abu Salmiya expressed that if conditions were better, more lives could have been saved. The hospital could hear armed clashes and powerful explosions from its location.
The Israeli military claimed that the projectile hitting the hospital’s courtyard was fired by Palestinian militants at Israeli troops. However, there has been no immediate response regarding the other three strikes described by Dr. Abu Salmiya.
Doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital have been facing dire conditions, treating an increasing number of patients with dwindling medical supplies and fuel for generators.
Dr. Abu Salmiya stated that they can only provide the bare minimum for the wounded they receive, unable to perform complex operations due to limited capacity and medication shortages.
The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Al-Shifa Hospital of providing cover for a Hamas military compound. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, previously stated that Hamas conducts its command and control operations in different departments of the hospital. Hamas officials and Al-Shifa administrators have denied these allegations, inviting international organizations to investigate and find evidence of Hamas’s presence.
The staff at Al-Shifa Hospital is preparing for the worst, including a potential Israeli ground raid. However, they currently have no plans to completely evacuate the complex, intending to stay with their patients.