People flee following Israeli air strikes on a neighbourhood in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Picture: Yasser Qudih / AFP
Mohammad Zaqout, the director general of hospitals in Gaza, told Beirut-based Al Mayadeen channel on Wednesday that the Israeli forces had seized the emergency room of the Shifa hospital and attacked patients.
"[Israeli military] carried out several raids on the Shifa hospital, stormed the emergency room and attacked patients," Zaqout said.
Earlier in the day, Al Arabiya broadcaster reported that the Israeli army had officially notified the medical personnel of the Shifa hospital of its intention to storm the hospital in the coming minutes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) later said that its forces are carrying out a "precise and targeted" operation against Hamas in hospital and are seeking to avoid harm to civilians.
An Al Araby Al Jadeed correspondent reported that the IDF had asked all civilians in Al Shifa medical complex to gather in its eastern part for evacuation.
The correspondent also said that the IDF had installed face recognition cameras to check the people who are being evacuated.
On Tuesday, Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al Kaila told Al Arabiya that the evacuation of Al Shifa Hospital was complicated by the fact that there were a lot of patients on life support there who could die in case it was withdrawn.
Meanwhile, at least 25 people were killed as Israeli military shelled a residential area in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian news agency Quds News Network reported on Wednesday.
According to the news agency, Israel shelled the Sheikh Radwan district of Gaza City.
On October 7, Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing and abducting people in neighbouring Israeli communities. Israel launched retaliatory strikes and ordered a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip, cutting off supplies of water, food, and fuel. On October 27, Israel launched a large-scale ground incursion inside the Gaza Strip with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.
The escalation of the conflict has resulted in the deaths of around 1,200 people in Israel and over 11,000 in the Gaza Strip.
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