Israel attacked four hospitals in Gaza, including the enclave’s largest medical complex, apparently causing numerous casualties, the Hamas-ruled enclave’s health ministry said.
The Israeli army struck a courtyard at the al-Shifa hospital complex, where thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering, Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said Friday.
“Israel is now taking these dangerous measures against hospitals to completely shut them down and subsequently displace the people sheltering there, as well as patients and doctors,” al-Qudra told Al Jazeera.
The Israeli military said Hamas operated a command center on the hospital site, including entrances to its extensive tunnel network, something Hamas and hospital officials have denied.
Israeli officials did not immediately comment on reports of the latest strikes.
Mohammad Abu Salmiya, director general of al-Shifa Hospital, said the strike hit civilians next to several journalists in the courtyard, injuring four people, two of them seriously.
“This caused many victims, including serious injuries. It could have been a massacre there because of the number of people in that compound,” Abu Salmiya told Al Jazeera.
“Before that, they bombed a building very close to the hospital. And now there are violent clashes and heavy bombings near the hospital.
Abu Salmiya said doctors and patients were in a state of fear due to near-constant explosions near the facility.
“Not a second goes by without bombings being carried out near the hospital. Many of the hospital’s windows have been broken and there is fear and anxiety among doctors, patients and displaced people,” he said.
“It is a war against hospitals and a war against all (Palestinian) citizens. »
Video of the apparent aftermath of the attack shows several people screaming and rushing for cover, as well as an injured man lying on the sidewalk in a pool of blood.
Al-Qudra said two children’s hospitals, al-Rantisi and al-Nasser, were also hit by “direct attacks and shelling” on Friday.
The Indonesian Foreign Ministry also reported that explosions overnight damaged the Indonesian hospital, located at the northern end of the enclave and where thousands of injured and displaced Palestinians have taken refuge nearby.
“Indonesia once again condemns the savage attacks against civilians and civilian objects, particularly humanitarian facilities in Gaza,” the ministry said in a statement.
Atef al-Kahlout, hospital director, holding up missile shrapnel, said: “This is what the occupation is throwing at hospitals: missile shrapnel.
“Let the world bear witness to the objectives of the occupation. In 24 hours, the hospital will be out of service. It appears that the Israeli occupying forces are not satisfied with the persistence of the Indonesian hospital nor the steadfastness of the population of northern Gaza.
Omar Shakir, Human Rights Watch director for Israel and Palestine, said on social media that medical facilities must be protected and that “no area is a free-fire zone.”
The attack on al-Shifa is the latest in a series of reported strikes on or near the Gaza City hospital in recent days.
Last week, the Israeli army bombed an ambulance outside the hospital, killing 15 people, according to Palestinian officials.
On Monday, Al Jazeera and Palestinian media reported that Israeli forces struck solar panels providing electricity to the medical complex, prompting denials from Israeli officials.
Israeli military officials have released photos, illustrated maps and audio recordings that they say show Hamas uses the facilities to plan operations and hide its fighters.
“Hamas terrorists operate inside and under the (al-Shifa) hospital and other hospitals in Gaza,” spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said last month.
Hamas, health authorities and al-Shifa hospital officials have denied that the armed group is hiding in or under the compound.
The Israeli military has repeatedly ordered the evacuation of the hospital in recent weeks, drawing condemnation from humanitarian groups who say the medical facilities must be spared from the fighting.