Israeli forces on Thursday destroyed the specialised surgeries building at Al-Shifa Hospital, which resulted in massive damage to the building’s interior, including a warehouse for medicine and medical equipment, according to Al Jazeera. The Israeli military destroyed the partitions, walls, and all medical equipment.
Furthermore, Israeli troops have been interrogating around 200 people, who have been blindfolded, in the hospital, including 30 who were stripped of their clothes and taken to the courtyard.
The fate of these individuals remains unknown. The failure to confirm Israeli allegations of Hamas’ presence in the hospital has led to massive destruction, renewed attacks on the building, and redeploying troops at the hospital gates.
France on Thursday said that it was not Israel to decide who gets to govern besieged enclave of Gaza after the end of the war. “Not up to Israel to decide who governs Gaza in the future. Gaza must be a part of future Palestinian state.”
It said that the 50% of the 100 tonnes of the aid it sent for the Palestinians has now entered the enclave. More deliveries to follow in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the director of Gaza’s largest health facility, said “no one can reach or leave the besieged hospital”.
“People inside will die if no aid reaches them and many patients in need of urgent medical needs could die if they cannot reach the hospital on time,” he told Al Jazeera.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said he feared for civil order in the Gaza Strip after it was hit with a new communications blackout on Thursday.
“Gaza is again in a total communication blackout, and… it is because there is no fuel,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told a press conference in Geneva.
The Palestinian telecom company Paltel confirmed the blackout, saying on X, formerly Twitter: “We regret to announce that all telecom services in Gaza Strip have gone out of service as all energy sources sustaining the network have been depleted, and fuel was not allowed in.”
About 1,000 male Palestinians, hands above their heads, were in the courtyard, some of them stripped naked by Israeli soldiers checking them for weapons or explosives, the journalist said.—Agencies
