IDF says it is ‘carrying out a precise and targeted operation’ inside Gaza’s largest hospital as Palestinian officials report seeing soldiers, tanks and bulldozers inside the complex
How many people are inside al-Shifa hospital?
Figures for the number of people sheltering inside the al-Shifa hospital complex differ widely.
Marwan Abu Sada, the head of surgery at al-Shifa,told the Guardian on Tuesday that an estimated 15,000 people were sheltering in al-Shifa as of Saturday morning, after thousands fled the intensifying bombardments.
The World Health Organization said that about 1,500 people were sheltering in al-Shifa. On Sunday the WHO said, “There are between 600 and 650 inpatients at al-Shifa, as well as 200 to 500 health workers, and about 1,500 displaced people seeking shelter there.”
On Wednesday, as the IDF announced that it had entered the hospital, Ahmed Mokhallalati, a doctor at al-Shifa, told Al Jazeera that there are 650 patients at the hopsital, with 100 in critical condition.
He said between 2,000 and 3,000 people were sheltering at the hospital and that 700 medics and administrators were there.UN negotiating resolution demanding ‘immediate extended humanitarian pauses’
The UN Security Council is negotiating a new resolution that demands “immediate extended humanitarian pauses” throughout the Gaza Strip but makes no mention of a cease-fire, the Associated Press reports.
The resolution, drafted by Malta, does demand that “all parties” comply with their obligations under international law.
The Security Council has rejected four resolutions on the war, and many of its 15 members have said they don’t want a vote on a new resolution unless it’s going to be approved.
The draft, obtained Tuesday by AP, says the pauses should be “for a sufficient number of days” to open humanitarian corridors and enable unhindered access for UN, Red Cross and other aid workers to get water, electricity, fuel, food and medical supplies to those in need as well as to repair essential infrastructure and enable urgent rescue and recovery efforts.
Youssef Abul Reesh, an official from the Hamas-run health ministry who is inside the hospital, has told AFP he can see tanks inside the al-Shifa complex and “dozens of soldiers and commandos inside the emergency and reception buildings.”Israeli defence officials say they will allow fuel shipments into Gaza
Israeli defense officials say they have agreed to allow fuel shipments into the Gaza Strip for humanitarian operations, the Associated Press reports.
It is the first time that Israel has allowed fuel into the territory since the Hamas militant group’s bloody cross-border invasion on 7 October.
Israel declared war and barred fuel shipments after the attack, saying Hamas would divert supplies for military use. But fuel is key to operations at Gaza hospitals, which run on generators, and the shortages hindered the United Nations from delivering humanitarian aid.
COGAT, the Israeli defence body responsible for Palestinian affairs, announced early Wednesday that it would allow UUN trucks to refill at the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border later Wednesday. It said the decision was in response to a request from the US. But it gave no details on when the shipments are to be delivered, other than to say it’s allowing 24,000 litres (6,240 gallons) of fuel into Gaza.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, had warned late Tuesday that its fuel-storage facility in Gaza had run dry and that it would soon be forced to halt operations.
