Israeli army storms Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City

Several Palestinians killed, others injured as Israeli tanks, military vehicles move into western areas of Gaza City with heavy cover fire, eyewitnesses tell Anadolu

By Ibrahim Sipahi

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army announced Monday that its forces stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex in western Gaza City in a military operation on the hospital housing thousands of ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people.

Several Palestinians were killed and others injured as Israeli tanks and military vehicles unexpectedly advanced under heavy cover fire into the western areas of Gaza City, surrounding the hospital, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

The Israeli army infiltrated Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital after intelligence indicating that it was being used by members of Palestinian group Hamas, Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported.

The KAN report claimed that the forces came under fire from the medical complex and responded, injuring two individuals.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said that the military and Shin Bet security agency were operating inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex "to thwart terrorist activities and arrest saboteurs."

"During the operation, the army forces came under fire from saboteurs inside the hospital, and the forces responded by firing back and injuring the saboteurs," he said.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on Gaza since a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 31,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have since been killed in the enclave, and nearly 73,700 others injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of most food, clean water and medicine, while 60%of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul

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