Radiance News Service
18 March 2024
In early morning news coming in from Gaza, occupying Israeli forces have launched an overnight raid on the Al-Shifa Hospital in Central Gaza, with reports of tanks and heavy gunfire at what was formerly the largest medical facility in the area.
According to the BBC, the IDF has cited “senior Hamas” members being inside the facility to justify the attack. In the wee hours of the morning around 4 am, especially during the month of Ramadan, this has led to absolute panic within and around the hospital.
According to people who have posted to social media sites, tanks have surrounded the area as they hide inside the tents. Heavy gunfire could be heard in some of the audio clips that are now circulating on social media.
In November 2023, Israel claimed that Al-Shifa was host to underground tunnels that were used by Hamas, all of which were unproven and remain to the day. Prior to the damage inflicted upon it, al-Shifa Hospital was the largest medical facility in Gaza. Videos from Quds News Network show tens of Palestinian families evacuating from the vicinity of Al-Shifa Hospital amid the sudden incursion.
Journalist Wadiaa Abou Alsoud has also recorded himself saying this might be the last video we see him while bombs strike around him and can be heard on the video posted to Instagram.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has said: “We hold the “Israeli” occupation responsible for the lives of the medical teams, patients, and displaced people inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. What the occupation forces are doing against the Al-Shifa Medical Complex is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
