(new: UN, further information from the Israeli army)
GAZA/TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – Israeli ground troops entered the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip and, according to a military spokesman, found weapons from the Islamist Hamas there. Based on intelligence information, the soldiers carried out “a precise and targeted operation” against Hamas in Shifa Hospital on Wednesday night, the army said on Telegram. According to media reports, there were initially no indications that hostages were being held in the clinic. The operation in the clinic is still ongoing, an army spokesman said on Wednesday evening.
According to a doctor, there was some fierce fighting during the action. There were hours of gunfire and bombardment, a doctor at the clinic reported, according to the Washington Post. The news channel Al-Jazeera reported that “dozens of soldiers” were in the emergency room of the hospital. In addition, tanks were stationed in a courtyard of the building complex. The United Nations expressed concern: Hospitals should not be the scene of fighting, a spokesman said.
The Israeli military believes there is a Hamas command center beneath the hospital. Hamas denies the Israeli statements. Israel’s armed forces also hoped to find at least information in the clinic complex about the whereabouts of the hostages kidnapped from Israel in the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th. However, there was initially no information about this.
According to international humanitarian law, attacks on civilian targets such as hospitals are prohibited. However, if civilian objects are misused, this no longer applies, explained international law expert Daniel-Erasmus Khan from the University of Berlin armed forces. In this case, international humanitarian law even accepts unintentional civilian victims in an attack. However, Israel must do everything it can to evacuate civilians from the clinic.
Probably more than 2000 people in the Schifa Clinic
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Monday there were more than 2,000 people in the Shifa clinic in the north of the sealed-off coastal strip, including probably more than 600 patients and around 1,500 displaced people. The information is based on estimates from the local Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas. However, eyewitnesses confirmed the numbers.
Five gunmen killed in battle outside clinic
Israel’s army spokesman Daniel Hagari assured that no harm would be done to civilians used by Hamas as human shields. According to media reports, soldiers killed at least five armed Hamas members in a battle in front of the clinic. Israeli soldiers were not injured.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: Protecting civilians above all else
UN emergency relief coordinator Griffiths wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday: “The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must come before all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlefields.”
He presented a ten-point plan for Gaza, the core of which is a humanitarian ceasefire. Continuous deliveries of aid are necessary. He appealed to Israel to open more border crossings for this purpose.
UN: Only one hospital in northern Gaza is still accepting patients
According to the UN, only one hospital in the northern Gaza Strip is accepting patients due to fighting and a lack of fuel. The Al-Ahli Hospital in the city of Gaza is the only one still in minimal operation, the UN emergency relief office OCHA said on Wednesday night. “All others have ceased operations due to a lack of electricity, medical supplies, oxygen, food and water.” There are currently around 500 patients in Al-Ahli Hospital.
Tank truck delivers fuel in Gaza Strip
For the first time since the beginning of the Gaza war, a tanker truck carrying fuel from Egypt arrived in the Gaza Strip. However, the head of UNRWA in the Gaza Strip, Thomas White, was critical of the delivery. “This is just nine percent of what we need every day to continue life-saving activities,” he wrote on X.
UN: Humanitarian support in the Gaza Strip on the verge of collapse
The UN Palestinian agency UNRWA warned that humanitarian support to the people of the Gaza Strip would soon collapse due to a lack of fuel. There is also hardly any fuel left for drinking water treatment. According to Palestinian information, there is also a risk of a total failure of the communication networks due to a lack of fuel to generate electricity.
Erdogan accuses Israel of extermination strategy in Gaza
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again sharply attacked Israel shortly before his trip to Germany. “Israel is pursuing a strategy of total destruction of a city and its people by deliberately targeting schools, mosques, churches, hospitals, markets, buildings and streets,” Erdogan said on Wednesday. He is expected to visit Berlin on Friday. Erdogan recently questioned Israel’s legitimacy. He also describes the Islamist Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Israel, the USA and the EU, as a “liberation organization”.
Scholz wants to speak plainly with Erdogan about the Gaza war
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced that he wanted to clearly address differences in connection with the Gaza war in his upcoming talks with Erdogan. “It is very important on this issue that there is clarity and that you put forward your own position very clearly,” said Scholz in the Bundestag on Wednesday.
“Serious child rights violations” – Unicef director in Gaza
Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell called on the warring parties for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire after a visit to the Gaza Strip. She also called on Wednesday for the release of all children abducted by the Islamist Hamas and safe access for humanitarian actors to provide life-saving services and supplies to the suffering population. Russel referred to reports that more than 4,600 children were killed and almost 9,000 were injured./jot/DP/he