In the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the assault on Gaza’s central hospital, Al-Shifa, by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has been denounced as a military crime. Osama Hamdan, a representative of Hamas in Lebanon, stated that the actions of Israel violate the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the protection of medical facilities.
This comes after calls were made to evacuate patients from Al-Shifa hospital to Egypt. The situation in the Middle East has escalated following the infiltration of thousands of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on October 7th, when Hamas announced the start of the “Flood Al-Aqsa” operation. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country is in a state of war.
Israel’s retaliatory operation, known as “Operation Iron Swords,” aims to repel the attack, free over 200 hostages, including foreign nationals, and destroy Hamas. From the first day of the operation, Israel has carried out massive missile strikes on the Gaza Strip. Additionally, the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the supply of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the region. Humanitarian aid to Gaza has only been allowed through the Rafah crossing after October 20th, and its volume is considered insufficient.
On October 27th, Israel announced the “expansion” of its ground operation in Gaza. The exact start date of this operation remains unknown, but prior to its launch, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already fled their homes and sought refuge in shelters and in the southern part of the enclave. As of November 5th, clashes in the center of Gaza are still ongoing, as the IDF has surrounded the city and cut off its supply routes.
Earlier, Israeli President Isaac Herzog claimed that Hamas’ command center is located beneath the central hospital in the Gaza Strip.
