15- November-2023- Aljazeera
- Israeli forces raid al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the largest medical complex in the Strip, where thousands have taken shelter.
- Telecommunications companies say Gaza services to stop within hours due to lack of fuel.
- Hamas denies it is using hospitals in Gaza, such as al-Shifa, as command centres, accusing Israel and the United States of trying to justify “brutal massacres“.
- More than 11,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the official death toll from Hamas’s attacks stands at more than 1,200
Hospitals are not battlegrounds’: WHO
Israel’s military incursion into al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City is totally unacceptable, says WHO’s director-general.
In a media briefing posted on X, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Hospitals are not battlegrounds. We are extremely worried for the safety of staff and patients. Protecting them is paramount.”
“One thing is clear: Under international humanitarian law, health facilities, health workers, ambulances and patients must be safeguarded and protected against all acts of war,” he said.
“Even if health facilities are used for military purposes, the principles of distinction, precaution and proportionality always apply,” he added
UN aid chief releases plan for Gaza assistance
Martin Griffiths has issued a statement detailing a “comprehensive” response plan for the intense humanitarian needs in Gaza.
“The warring parties must respect international humanitarian law, agree to a humanitarian ceasefire and stop the fighting,” the statement by the UN’s top aid official reads.
Among others, the plan calls for the safe and continuous flow of aid convoys, the expansion of safe shelters, and the opening of additional border crossings, including the Karem Abu Salem crossing (called Kerem Shalom by Israel).
“These are the actions required to rein in the carnage,” the statement read.
“The world must act before it is too late,” it added, calling on “the parties [at war], all those who have influence over them, and the broader international community” to do everything in their power to support and implement the plan.
Situation at northern Gaza hospital ‘extremely critical’
We’ve been reporting throughout the day about the situation at al-Shifa Hospital, but Gaza’s largest medical complex is just one of the several medical facilities that are under threat.
In a voice note, Ahmed Muhanna, director from al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, describes the situation there as “extremely critical”.
“All the time they are bombing around the hospital and close to the hospital,” he said.
“Today, we have found shrapnel inside the hospital, and the ambulance and cars were damaged. We are working with injured and pregnant women from the northern areas and Gaza City because all the hospitals in Gaza City and the northern area also are out of service.”
Spain PM: Will work in Europe to ‘recognise state of Palestine’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pressed Israel to end the “indiscriminate killing of Palestinians” in Gaza – his sharpest criticism since it launched the war.
The socialist leader promised his new government would “work in Europe and in Spain to recognise the Palestinian state”.
“We demand an immediate ceasefire on the part of Israel in Gaza and strict compliance with international humanitarian law, which today is clearly not respected,” he said.
Sanchez added he “stood with Israel” in “its response” to the Hamas attack on October 7, and called for the “immediate release” of hostages.
“But with the same clarity we reject the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.