Mass Grave Inside Israeli-Encircled Gaza Hospital, No Plan to Rescue Babies
November 14th, 2023Via: Reuters:
Palestinians trapped inside Gaza’s biggest hospital were digging a mass grave on Tuesday to bury patients who died under Israeli encirclement, and said no plan was in place to evacuate babies despite Israel announcing an offer to send portable incubators.
Israeli forces have surrounded Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which they say sits atop an underground headquarters of Hamas militants.
Hamas, Gaza’s ruling Islamist group, denies fighters are present and says 650 patients and 5,000-7,000 other displaced civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from snipers and drones. It says 40 patients have died in recent days, including three premature babies whose incubators were shut down when power went out.
Lavrov addresses Gaza/Palestine extensively in this wide-ranging interview–in english:
https://www.rt.com/russia/587335-lavrov-exclusive-interview-rt/
Ali Abunimah:
Catastrophe unfolding now at al-Shifa hospital: I summarize comments of hospital director Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic about 30 minutes ago:
There are about 7,000 people under total siege inside al-Shifa compound, including 650 injured people, 45 dialysis patients and 36 premature babies.
A few hours ago one dialysis patient died and 4 are at imminent risk of death because no power for dialysis machines. Three premature babies died in recent days. Two injured persons died in recent hours due to lack of treatment.
There is no water, fuel or electricity. Israel broke the main water line into the hospital. There is no purified water to make the special formula for the babies, so they are using ordinary water and some have become sick with diarrhea, infections, fever.
There is no food. Children are starving and distressed. There is no medicine and the wounds of injured people are becoming horribly infected, some with maggots.
Hospital administrators tried to send a delegation to the occupation forces to ask for food, fuel, medicine and safe evacuation of the sick and injured but the Israelis refused to to talk to them.
The hospital is besieged from all sides by tanks and bulldozers. The bulldozers are destroying areas around the compound, but no one can see clearly what they are doing. Anyone who tries to move between hospital buildings is shot at by snipers or drones. There are hundreds of soldiers in the hospital compound searching all over and causing severe damage to hospital premises and equipment.
In the 48 hours the occupation forces have been inside the hospital or on its grounds not a single shot has been fired at them.
No one can leave the hospital or enter it. The situation is disastrous not just for people in Shifa but for anyone in Gaza City who is injured or becomes ill, because no one can reach the hospital and the hospital can’t do anything for them anyway. Anyone who has a heart attack or a stroke at home will die.
Dr. Abu Salmiya says “We hold the world responsible” for what he calls a genocide. “We are waiting for slow death.”
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