Following 2-week raid, Israel leaves Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital in ruins

By Mohammed Habooush and Ali Semerci

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Following extensive damage to Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital following two weeks of Israeli army raid, Palestinian doctors said the hospital's entire premises had been destroyed by fire and bombings, rendering it unusable.

Speaking to Anadolu, Marwan Abu Sada, head of the Department of Surgery at the hospital, said the Israeli army withdrew from Al-Shifa Hospital, leaving behind widespread destruction throughout the hospital's buildings and facilities.

Abu Sada underlined that the destruction inflicted by the Israeli army has made it impossible to resume medical operations to aid the wounded and patients.

"The Israeli army blew up hospital buildings by setting up booby traps, burned oxygen stations and electric generators, and set fire to all sections of the hospital."

Highlighting the urgent need for the hospital's complete reconstruction, Abu Sada urged the international community to investigate the atrocities and find alternative medical solutions for Palestinians in the besieged enclave.

- Hospital turned left in ruins

Fares Afanah, the director of Ambulance and Emergency Services at the hospital, also recounted arriving at the scene after the Israeli army's withdrawal and witnessing a scene of devastation including “decomposed bodies.”

"Al-Shifa Hospital is completely demolished, with all hospital facilities burnt down. It's like a massive wreckage left behind by a destructive earthquake. Due to the extensive devastation caused by Israel, the hospital is not suitable for operation again."

Describing the situation in the Palestinian territory as a humanitarian disaster, Afanah condemned the "ongoing genocide" in Palestinian territories, with Israeli forces targeting anything in motion.

Earlier on Monday, Israel announced that it had withdrawn from Gaza Strip's largest health complex, Al-Shifa Hospital, and its surroundings after its two-week-long raids which began on March 18.

According to eyewitnesses speaking to Anadolu, the Israeli army withdrew from inside the Al-Shifa Hospital and the surrounding areas west of Gaza City, leaving scores of casualties and extensive destruction in the hospital and its vicinity.

Israeli forces also burned the buildings of the kidney and maternity wards, mortuary refrigerators, and cancer and burn facilities, and destroyed the outpatient clinic building, according to the witnesses.

Palestinian medical sources said the hospital is now completely out of service and the army destroyed all medical equipment in the compound, including the operation rooms and intensive care units.

The hospital was previously raided on Nov. 16 after it was besieged for one week when its courtyards, parts of its buildings, medical equipment, and the power generator were destroyed.

*Writing by Seda Sevencan in Ankara