Israeli army raids Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza Strip

In the early hours of Wednesday, the Israeli army stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, where more than two thousand people are still trapped after intense battles around the facility. The Israeli state accuses Hamas of using it for military purposes, a claim the movement denies. 

Palestinian and Israeli officials confirmed the invasion of the hospital located in the northern part of Gaza City, where a fierce battle has been raging in its vicinity for days, accompanied by Israeli army advances with tanks. 

Yousef Abu-Al Rish, Gaza's Deputy Minister of Health, confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) seeing tanks outside the complex, affirming the entry of "dozens of soldiers" into the emergency and reception buildings. 

The Israeli army announced that its units "are conducting a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specific area of Al-Shifa Hospital, based on intelligence information and operational necessities." 

The army, in its statement, confirmed that its units "include medical teams and Arabic-speaking spokespersons who have undergone specific training to be prepared for this complex and sensitive environment, aiming not to cause any harm to civilians, whom Hamas uses as human shields." 

This statement came shortly after the spokesperson for the Hamas Ministry of Health announced that the Israeli army had contacted the ministry's deputy to inform him that its forces would storm the hospital. 

Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra told Al Jazeera via telephone that "the Israeli occupation continued to communicate with the deputy minister of health and informed him that in the coming minutes, Al-Shifa Medical Complex would be stormed, requesting that everyone be informed not to stand near the windows to avoid endangering their lives." 

He added, "The Israeli occupation has decided, and officially informed us, of its intention to raid the Al-Shifa Medical Complex." 

Earlier, United Nations estimates indicated the presence of at least 2,300 people inside the complex, including patients, medical staff, and many displaced individuals, suggesting that they might be unable to leave amid the intense fighting in its vicinity. 

Humanitarian organizations had earlier stated that individuals in the hospital had been subjected to gunfire when attempting to leave. 

Conditions inside the complex have been challenging, especially with the power outage for days. 

The hospital's director, Mohammad Abu Salmiya, told AFP on Tuesday that "at least 179 bodies" had been buried in a "mass grave" in the complex's courtyard, noting that among them were seven children who died due to the power outage. 

He added, "We were forced to bury them in a mass grave," pointing out that "the bodies are scattered in the hospital corridors, and electricity is cut off from the morgue refrigerators" as no fuel has entered the sector since the start of the war on October 7. 

He mentioned that the death toll in the intensive care unit reached 29 since Saturday. 

AFP