Following the October 7 attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning, saying that Hamas has nowhere safe to go. He declared, hours after Israeli forces invaded Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in the region, that there is “no place in Gaza” that they couldn’t access.
“They told us we wouldn’t reach the outskirts of Gaza City and we did, they told us we wouldn’t enter Al-Shifa (hospital) and we did,” he said, further added, “There is no place in Gaza that we won’t reach.”
International condemnation of the Israeli army operation at the hospital was swift. The United Nations believes that there were at least 2,300 patients, personnel, and displaced Palestinians in the complex, despite Israel’s claims that it was conducting “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area” of the hospital.
“The adoption by the White House and the Pentagon of the occupation’s false claim that the resistance is using the Al-Shifa medical complex for military ends has given the green light to the occupation to commit more massacres against civilians,” Hamas mentioned as quoted by news agency AFP.
According to the UN humanitarian chief, the situation in Gaza “reaches new levels of horror every day, the world continues to watch in shock as hospitals come under fire, premature babies die,” and he called for prompt action to “rein in the carnage.” The essential resources for survival are taken away from an entire people. We cannot permit this to go on.
Martin Griffiths emphasized, “Hamas must not, should not, use a place like a hospital as a shield for their presence.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross mentioned it was “extremely concerned about the impact on sick and wounded people, medical staff, and civilians”.
“All measures to avoid any consequences on them must be taken,” it added highlighting that “patients, medical staff, and civilians must be at all times protected”.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, revealed that the organization had lost contact with hospital staff once more.
“We’re extremely worried for their and their patients’ safety.”
