Palestinian officials said a baby died and dozens more patients were at risk from Israeli gunfire around Gaza’s largest hospital on Saturday, while Israel said it had killed a Hamas militant who had stopped another hospital from being evacuated.
Israel says doctors, patients and thousands of evacuees who have taken refuge at hospitals in northern Gaza must leave so it can tackle Hamas gunmen who it says have placed command centres under and around them.
Hamas denies using hospitals in this way. Medical staff say patients could die if they are moved and Palestinian officials say Israeli fire makes it dangerous for others to leave.
“It’s totally a war zone, it’s a totally scary atmosphere here in the hospital,” Ahmed al-Mokhallalati, a senior plastic surgeon at Al Shifa hospital, told Reuters.
“It’s continuous bombardment for more than 24 hours now, nothing stopped, you know, it’s all from the tanks, from the street, from the air strike.”
Meanwhile, the participants in Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit in Riyadh on Saturday called for ending the Gaza siege.
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At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the death toll stands at more than 1,200.
Israeli forces attack front gate of Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital, where thousands of patients and displaced Palestinians have been sheltering.
Palestine Red Crescent chief tells UN Security Council that Gaza hospitals are being “deliberately targeted” to force civilians out of the enclave.
Israel says 100,000 Palestinians have moved southwards in Gaza in the last two days; Many Palestinians say they remain trapped amid continued fighting.
The medical charity MSF International said attacks on the al-Shifa Hospital have “dramatically intensified” in the last few hours and staff have reported “a catastrophic situation”.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said her country wants to “take a lead” in efforts to alleviate the deepening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, according to local media reports.
