Palestinians trapped inside Gaza’s biggest hospital were digging a mass grave on Tuesday to bury patients who died under Israeli encirclement, and said no plan was in place to evacuate babies.
Israeli Forces have surrounded Gaza City’s Al Shifa hospital which they say sits atop an underground Headquarters of Hamas.
Hamas denies fighters are present and says 650 patients and 5,000-7,000 other displaced civilians are trapped inside the hospital grounds, under constant fire from snipers and drones. It says 40 patients have died in recent days, including three premature babies whose incubators were knocked out.
A Hamas official in Beirut said 25 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals were out of use because of Israel’s assault.
Five weeks after Israel swore to destroy Hamas in retaliation for a cross-border assault, the fate of Al Shifa has become a focus of international alarm, including from Israel’s closest ally, the United States.
Ashraf Al-Qidra, Gaza’s Health Ministry Spokesman, reached by telephone inside the hospital compound, said there were about 100 bodies decomposing inside and no way to get them out.
“We are planning to bury them today in a mass grave inside the Al Shifa medical complex. It is going to be very dangerous as we don’t have any cover or protection from the ICRC,” he said, referring to the International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent.
“…The men are digging right now as we speak.”
Thirty-six babies are left from the neo-natal ward after three died. Without fuel for generators to power incubators, the babies were being kept as warm as possible, lined up eight to a bed.
REUTERS
