Soldiers from the Israeli military entered Gaza’s largest hospital last night. – Military forces are carrying out a “precise and targeted action” against Hamas in parts of the Shifa hospital, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on X on the night of Wednesday. Israeli soldiers and tanks have surrounded the hospital for several days and asked everyone in the area to evacuate. According to doctors inside the hospital, there are over 633 patients, among them premature children. Asking Hamas to surrender The Israeli army writes that the ground operation is to defeat Hamas and rescue hostages. They believe Hamas runs a command center under the hospital. – Israel is at war with Hamas, not with civilians in Gaza, writes the military. Among the forces are medical teams and people who speak Arabic. According to Israel, they must ensure that no civilians “who are used by Hamas as human shields” are harmed. – We ask all Hamas fighters present in hospitals to surrender, is the message from the Israeli military. Was warned A doctor inside the hospital told CNN that they were given 30 minutes’ warning before the Israeli action started. – We were asked to stay away from the windows and balconies. We can hear the armored vehicles, they are very close to the entrance, Dr. Khaled Abu Samra told CNN. Al Jazeera newspaper has spoken to a doctor at the hospital who reports fear among patients and health workers. A spokesman for the Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza tells the newspaper that Israeli forces are searching the basement of the hospital. Displaced Palestinians seek shelter at Al Shifa Hospital, amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, November 8, 2023 Photo: STRINGER / Reuters Israel and the US are responsible After Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, where according to Israeli authorities killed around 1,200 people, Israel has bombed Gaza almost non-stop. More than 11,300 people have been killed, among them more than 4,500 children, according to health authorities in Gaza, controlled by Hamas. The Palestinian health authorities hold Israeli forces fully responsible for the lives of health workers, patients and displaced persons at the Shifa hospital, according to a statement carried by the Reuters news agency. They say around 50,000 displaced persons have sought shelter at the hospital. Hamas now blames US President Joe Biden for the Israeli military action at the al-Shifa hospital. It comes after the US claimed on Tuesday to have evidence that Hamas has used the Shifa hospital for military purposes. Protests against the bombing of Gaza outside the White House in Washington DC Photo: Jose Luis Magana / AP – We have information confirming that Hamas is using this particular hospital for “command and control purposes” and probably for storing weapons, US national security spokesman John Kirby No evidence was presented for the allegations. Kirby stressed that the actions of Hamas do not absolve Israel of its responsibility to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip. Hamas believes the statement gave the green light for the Israeli action against the al-Shifa hospital. They ask the UN to inspect all hospitals in Gaza. Several independent organizations are affiliated with the hospital. None of them have so far confirmed that they have observed Hamas’ presence in the hospital. A child injured in an Israeli bomb attack on a hospital in Khan Younis in the south of the Gaza Strip. Several hundred thousand have fled here after Israel announced an attack in the north. Photo: Fatima Shbair / AP Does not support attacks on hospitals US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a long telephone conversation on Tuesday about Israel and Gaza, and the effort to free hostages held by Hamas, writes the White House. The White House says in a statement that the United States does not support an “attack” against a hospital from the air, nor does it want a shootout at a hospital. The White House also says that hospitals and patients must be protected. – We do not support an attack on a hospital from the air, and we do not want a shootout in a hospital where innocent, helpless and sick people are caught in the crossfire, says a bureaucrat in the US National Security Council. Norwegian citizens out on Wednesday Around 270 Norwegian citizens and persons with Norwegian connections are in the Gaza Strip, according to the government. On Tuesday, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was informed that 51 Norwegian citizens have been given permission to leave Gaza via the Rafah border crossing on Wednesday. Over 11,300 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the attacks since 7 October.
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