Al-Shifa Hospital Under Threat Amid Israeli Attacks

By Joseph Stepansky and Farah Najjar

10 Nov 2023

Israeli forces attack front gate of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City; Director says Israel is carrying out a “war against hospitals”.

At least 50 killed after Israeli missiles and artillery hit Gaza school sheltering internally displaced people. People fleeing on the main road towards southern Gaza also come under attack, witnesses say.

The relentless Israeli bombardment has damaged more than 50 percent of housing units across Gaza, according to officials.

The UN’s humanitarian office issued statement saying if there is a hell on Earth, it is northern Gaza.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. In Israel, the death toll stands at more than 1,200.

Local officials in Gaza have said Israeli forces were encroaching on several hospitals in the north, including ongoing attacks in the vicinity of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. That comes after several attacks were reported earlier on beleaguered medical facilities, including on al-Shifa and al-Quds hospitals.

Amid the fighting, al-Shifa director Muhammad Abu Salmiya said medical staff would stay with patients until the “last moment”. That came as the head of WHO briefed the UN Security Council on “unimaginable conditions” in Gaza’s hospitals and again called for a ceasefire.

A spokesperson for Israel’s military said: “if we see Hamas terrorists firing from hospitals, we’ll do what we need to do”.

The bombardment of Gaza continued elsewhere, with at least 50 people killed at al-Buraq school in Gaza City and six others killed. Among the strikes, at least three people were reportedly killed west of Jabalia refugee camp in the north and at least three others were killed in an attack on al-Breij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Israel has said more than 100,000 Palestinians have fled southwards in Gaza in the last two days, although many say they remain trapped due to the ongoing fighting.

Israel also revised the number of people killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks to about 1,200, saying the earlier figure of 1,400 included people later proven to be attackers.

The Prime Minister of Israel reiterated that after the war, Gaza would remain under Israeli security control.

Cross-border fighting continued along the Israel-Lebanon border.