Israeli troops raid Gaza’s main hospital

Israeli soldiers yesterday raided and combed through Gaza’s main hospital in an offensive against Hamas, raising fears for thousands of patients and other civilians trapped inside.

The operation at Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital set off a wave of international condemnation. The White House renewed its concerns for the safety of civilians shortly after the raid began.

The United Nations humanitarian chief demanded immediate action to “rein in the carnage”. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “extremely concerned about the impact on sick and wounded people, medical staff, and civilians”.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We’re extremely worried for their and their patients’ safety.”

Israel said its troops killed several Hamas fighters in a clash outside the gates before entering.

Israeli soldiers, some wearing face masks and shooting in the air, ordered young men to surrender, a journalist in contact with AFP reported.

About 1,000 male Palestinians, their hands above their heads, were in the vast hospital courtyard, some of them stripped naked by Israeli soldiers checking them for weapons or explosives, the journalist said.

Israel said the raid was being executed based on “an operational necessity” but the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority denounced it as a “flagrant violation of international law”.”

The United Nations has said it estimates that at least 2,300 people — patients, including infants, staff and displaced civilians — are inside and may be unable to escape because of fierce fighting.

Witnesses have described conditions inside the hospital as horrific, with medical procedures taking place without anaesthetic, families with scant food or water living in corridors and the stench of decomposing corpses filling the air.

The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says Israel’s ensuing aerial bombardment and ground offensive have killed 11,320 people, mostly civilians, including thousands of children.

The situation in Gaza’s other hospitals is also dire, with the World Health Organization saying 22 of 36 are not functional due to a lack of generator fuel, damage or combat.

Patients, the wounded, their families, and the medical teams trapped in Al Quds hospital were evacuated Tuesday, said the Palestinian Red Crescent, adding the facility had been under “siege” for 10 days.

The head of the UN children’s agency described yesterday the “devastating” scenes she witnessed during a visit to Gaza, urging the parties to the conflict to “stop this horror”.

A fuel truck entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt yesterday, state-aligned Al Qahera News reported.