Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City was targeted by Israeli occupation forces early Monday. Under the guise of an operation to root out Palestinian Resistance fighters allegedly using the complex, the Israeli military unleashed a barrage of aerial and artillery fire, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
Breaking | The specialized surgeries building at al-Shifa Hospital is ablaze after Israeli tanks shelled the hospital while besieging its compounds and demanding a complete evacuation. pic.twitter.com/uH8CRlwXkr
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 18, 2024
Sounds of gunfire and explosions are heard right now as Israeli tanks continue to besiege the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/m3sOwOyvdY
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 18, 2024
Reports from Gaza indicate that Israeli drones and warplanes fired upon Palestinians in the area surrounding the hospital, while naval vessels targeted the complex from the west. The relentless aggression has left several individuals dead and many more wounded, with bodies of martyrs unreachable due to the ongoing assault.
Happening Now: Heavy artillery shelling and firebelts surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital pic.twitter.com/yvsrcRpjB7
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) March 18, 2024
Worse still, a fire broke out in a specialized surgery building within the complex as a direct result of Israeli airstrikes. Journalist Alam al-Deen Sabah reported that an Israeli occupation forces was ambushed near the hospital, leading to further escalations in violence.
Breaking | The specialized surgeries building at al-Shifa Hospital is ablaze after Israeli tanks shelled the hospital while besieging its compounds and demanding a complete evacuation. pic.twitter.com/uH8CRlwXkr
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 18, 2024
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has held the Israeli occupation responsible for the safety of medical staff, patients, and displaced individuals trapped within the al-Shifa Medical Complex. This brazen attack is seen as a blatant violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, aimed at destroying the already strained healthcare system in the region.
Wounded children sleep on chairs in light of the tremendous pressure on hospitals across the Gaza Strip as a result of the continuing massacres and the Israeli occupation’s destruction of the medical sector. pic.twitter.com/l7DPFEtTs1
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 18, 2024
In response, the Government Media Office in Gaza has decried the Israeli assault as a war crime and urged the international community to intervene. Palestinian factions have also condemned the targeting of hospitals, emphasizing that these are civilian institutions bound by humanitarian law.
Israeli occupation army forces displaced families out of the Al Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/dXXEOHTiAn
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 18, 2024
Palestinian Internal Security Commander Martyred
Later on Monday, Palestinian sources reported that the Head of Operations in Gaza’s Internal Security Force Faiq Al-Mabhouh, who is tasked with securing aid trucks in Gaza was martyred during the Israeli raid on Al-Shifa.
The sources said that the martyr Al-Mabhouh refused to surrender and engaged in a clash with occupation forces, killing an Israeli soldier and injuring two others.
الشهيد فايق المبحوح مدير عمليات الشرطة –
رفض تسليم نفسه لقوات جيش الاحتلال المتواجدة داخل مجمع الشفاء الطبي وقام بالاشتباك معهم وقتل جندي وأصاب أثنين اخرين pic.twitter.com/9WfAEuQ3ZK
— طوفان الأقصى (@Afcq1954) March 18, 2024
They added that the Israeli occupation wants through killing Al-Mabhouh to block the aid to the Gaza Strip and to create chaos across the besieged enclave.
Hamas Demands International Action Following Attack on Gaza Hospital
The Islamic Resistance Movement – Hamas and al-Mujahideen Movement have both released statements condemning the recent attack on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Hamas has criticized the Israeli leadership for their continued crimes against civilians, describing it as a sign of the state of disarray within Israel. The group called on the international community to take swift action against Israeli war crimes and prevent further destruction of medical facilities in Gaza.
Al-Mujahideen Movement, on the other hand, blamed the United States, western governments, and “defeatist” Arab states for allowing ‘Israel’ to commit acts of genocide against the people of Gaza. The movement cited evidence refuting Israeli claims of military infrastructure in al-Shifa Medical Center and accused ‘Israel’ of targeting all forms of human life in the Strip.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported that the death toll from the ongoing Israeli aggression has reached 31,645 Palestinians, with 73,676 injuries. Both Hamas and al-Mujahideen Movement have called on organizations like the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization to intervene and protect Gaza’s medical facilities from further destruction.
Source: Palestinian media (translated by Al-Manar English Website)
