Since the start of the Israeli army’s strikes on the Gaza Strip, after the Hamas attack on October 7, the al-Shifa hospital, located in the northern part of the besieged enclave, has occupied an important place in the news.
Over the past five days, she has been at the center of everything as the death toll in Gaza mounted, with more than 11,500 Palestinians, almost half of them children, killed by Israeli forces.
Violent scenes unfold at the hospital as snipers spent days shooting at anyone trying to pass from one medical building to another, sparking an international outcry. But the Israeli army seems unfazed.
The importance of Al-Shifa
The importance of al-Shifa Hospital goes beyond the medical field.
The famous medical complex, whose name translates to “House of Healing,” has been described as the beating heart of Gaza.
It has existed since the days of British rule over Palestine and became a hospital in 1946 after originally housing a British Army barracks. It has survived several wars and many years of Israeli occupation.
Since last month, the country has been denied urgent supplies of medicine and fuel – and that was before Israeli troops intervened and blew up its dwindling drug supplies.
Hospital staff had to bury dozens of people in a mass grave on the grounds due to a lack of options. Corpses still lie around his courtyard.
Beyond this, al-Shifa is considered a nerve center for the administrative bodies of the Gaza government. Health Ministry officials held press conferences amid the corpses, and the government’s Media Ministry intervened from the hospital.
Al-Shifa retained its internet connectivity at a time when the rest of Gaza was cut off by Israel, also making it a hot spot for journalists, some of whom are now trapped there. The hospital’s director, doctors and staff have provided constant updates whenever possible, often rejecting Israeli claims – like Wednesday’s that they had authorized aid to the hospital.
For some Palestinians, the hospital has become a symbol of strength and resistance in the face of a stronger military force that shows little restraint. The images of dead babies and mutilated children that were broadcast from the hospital around the world inspired millions to take to the streets in support of the Palestinians.
Why is Israel doing this?
Israel has said it wants to take charge of Gaza’s security in the future. On this point it contradicts its main ally, the United States, since Washington wants the Palestinian Authority to take over.
But they appear to be on the same page about the “destruction” of Hamas, and so ground operations would need to expand for that to happen. In this scenario, the recovery of the city’s main hospital would be essential.
But just as al-Shifa has found new meaning among Palestinians and those watching around the world, what happens at the hospital has become paramount to Israel.
Israel wants to dismantle the center that al-Shifa has become and retake what it considers to be the bastion of Hamas’ military and administrative capabilities. What happens at the hospital could also impact the future of negotiations over the release of captives and the authorization of humanitarian aid and fuel that Gaza desperately needs.
A doctor at the hospital, Munir al-Bursh, told Israeli forces that their presence was creating a “state of fear and hysteria,” according to a recording obtained by Tel Aviv Tribune on Wednesday.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, based in Geneva, said that “the army could be creating a scene that could be liberated later” because it is the only party controlling the atmosphere inside the hospital.
Israel’s targeting of hospitals has been deeply controversial.
Nearly a month ago, she was blamed for a deadly attack on the Arab al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, but Israel and the West blamed it on Palestinian fighters firing a faulty rocket from the strip. from Gaza.
On Wednesday, US media CNN, accompanied by Israeli tanks and military spokesman Daniel Hagari, visited al-Shifa hospital to ostensibly prove Israel’s claims against Hamas. Hagari showed the point of sale several rusty rifles and a chair as proof that Hamas was operating there and holding prisoners.
What’s the latest news in al-Shifa?
The Israeli army has spent recent days gradually tightening its grip around the hospital.
As part of its ground offensive in northern Gaza, it intervened and surrounded the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip with soldiers, tanks, armored vehicles and attack drones supported by snipers. elite.
Israeli troops have now entered the hospital and attacked several departments. They installed electronic checkpoints at several gates of the main buildings. Their tanks are in the courtyard.
And this, while thousands of people are still stuck in hospital. These include many displaced Palestinians who have found shelter there, seriously ill patients who have nowhere to go, and exhausted medical staff.
According to first-hand accounts, Israeli troops targeted generators and communications units before breaking in, and they also questioned dozens of undressed and blindfolded people, who already had no access to water and basic hygiene.
Is Hamas in the hospital?
Israel’s main claim for besieging Gaza’s most important hospital is that Hamas has a main command center operating in and under the hospital.
This is a claim that has also been supported by the United States, prompting Hamas to hold Washington “fully responsible” for effectively giving the green light to attack a hospital full of civilians.
Neither Tel Aviv nor the White House have released independently verified evidence to support this claim, which has been refuted by a number of doctors and hospital staff.
And there is no clear evidence that any number of the captives taken by Hamas in its October 7 attack are being held within the hospital compound.
Israel has also not allowed independent third parties to enter the area to verify each side’s claims. Historically, these highly controversial claims have never been proven.
