Gaza officials said Israel launched airstrikes on or near at least three hospitals last night, further threatening a health system overwhelmed by thousands of casualties and people displaced by Israel’s war against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave.
“The Israeli occupation has launched simultaneous attacks on a number of hospitals over the past hours,” Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra told Al Jazeera television.
Qidra said Israel targeted the courtyard of Al Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza City, and that there were casualties, but did not give details. Israel has said Hamas has hidden command centers and tunnels under Al Shifa, allegations Hamas denies.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Qidra’s statement, which Reuters could not independently verify.
Israel’s month-long military campaign to destroy Hamas, following the militants’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, has left hospitals in Gaza without medical supplies, clean water and fuel for generators.
Gaza’s health ministry said 18 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals and 40 other health centers were out of service due to bombardment damage or fuel shortages.
Palestinian media on Friday released a video by Al Shifa, which Reuters could not immediately confirm, which it said showed the aftermath of an Israeli attack on a parking lot where displaced Palestinians were sheltering and journalists were watching.
A pool of blood could be seen next to the body of a man who was being placed on a stretcher.
“Given the ongoing strikes and fighting near (Al Shifa), we are seriously concerned about the welfare of the thousands of civilians there, including many children, who are seeking medical care and shelter,” Human Rights Watch posted on the X social network.
Qidra said Al-Rantisi Pediatric Hospital and Al-Nasr Children’s Hospital “witnessed a series of direct attacks and bombings” on Friday. He said that the strikes on the Al-Rantisi hospital compound set vehicles on fire, but they were partially extinguished.
They’re once again bombing the area around the Al Shifa hospital. pic.twitter.com/DCVQhuXaBY
— ????ProletariatRising???? (@ProletariatRis1) November 9, 2023
Indonesia’s foreign ministry said on Friday that overnight explosions near an Indonesian hospital damaged parts of the hospital, located at the northern end of the narrow coastal enclave. It did not say who was responsible for the explosion and they did not report any deaths or injuries.
“Indonesia once again condemns the barbaric attacks on civilians and civilian facilities, especially humanitarian facilities in Gaza,” the ministry said in a statement.
