Gaza’s Health Ministry warns of starvation at Al-Shifa Hospital amid Israeli onslaught

By Anadolu staff

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Saturday of starvation at the Al-Shifa Hospital amid an ongoing Israeli raid on the facility.

“No food or water supplies have entered the Al-Shifa complex for the past eight days,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement carried by Al Jazeera television.

“The patients at Al-Shifa are starving and in pain, and the displaced people cannot find a piece of bread,” he said.

The spokesman said that the hospital has become completely isolated from the world amid a communication outage.

“Patients are starving. The accumulated garbage poses a new threat to those trapped in the medical complex,” he said.

“There are between 7,000 and 10,000 inside the hospital, and the food that was allowed into the facility is only sufficient for 400 people,” said Qudra.

​​​​​​​At least 51 patients, including four premature babies, have lost their lives inside the Al-Shifa Hospital since Friday, he said.

The Israeli army raided the medical complex in Gaza City early Wednesday following extensive attacks around the hospital as part of its military offensive on the blockaded territory.

Since Israel started bombarding Gaza on Oct. 7, more than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 8,300 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures.

Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.

An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a trickle.

The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is around 1,200, according to official figures.