SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
An injured child is brought to al-Shifa Hospital after Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza on October 21, 2023.
(Photo: Ali Jadallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)
'Hospitals Are Not Battlegrounds': UN Relief Chief Sounds Alarm as Israel Raids al-Shifa
"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns," said Martin Griffiths, the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator.
Nov 15, 2023
The head of the United Nations' emergency relief operations said Wednesday that he was "appalled" by news of the Israeli military's raid of Gaza's largest hospital, where hundreds of patients and healthcare workers and thousands of displaced people are sheltering.
"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns," Martin Griffiths, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, wrote on social media. "Hospitals are not battlegrounds."
Israeli forces' raid of al-Shifa Hospital early Wednesday came days after they encircled the facility and began bombarding it, accusing Hamas of using the hospital and tunnels beneath it for military operations.
The U.S. backed Israel's assertion on Tuesday, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby telling reporters that "we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them, to conceal and support their military operations and to hold hostages."
Asked to provide specific evidence, Kirby cited "a variety of intelligence sources" but declined to publicize "a whole lot of granular detail on that."
Hospitals are protected from military attack under international law and can only lose their protected status if they are shown to have been used for "an act harmful to the enemy." Human Rights Watch argued in a report released ahead of Wednesday's raid that the Israeli government has not provided sufficient evidence to justify its attacks on al-Shifa and other northern Gaza hospitals, most of which have ceased functioning due to a lack of fuel and other supplies.
An emergency room employee at al-Shifa told Al Jazeera that during their raid, Israeli soldiers "detained and brutally assaulted some of the men who were taking refuge at the hospital."
"Israeli forces took the detained men naked and blindfolded," the worker added. "[They] did not bring any aid or supplies, they only brought terror and death."
On Tuesday, according to Gaza officials, around 170 bodies were buried in a mass grave in the courtyard of al-Shifa, as there was no other way to safely bury them outside the hospital compound because of Israeli attacks and firefights with Hamas. A surgeon at the hospital told Reuters that, due to lack of refrigeration, the bodies "were generating an unbearable stench and posing a risk of infection."
"The Health Ministry said 40 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa's emergency generator ran out of fuel Saturday," The Associated Press reported Wednesday. "Another 36 babies are at risk of dying because there is no power for incubators, according to the ministry."
Israel's bombing campaign, ground invasion, and siege have killed more than 11,000 people across the Gaza Strip, but the recent attacks on the enclave's hospitals have made it impossible for Gaza health officials to reach the facilities to count the dead and wounded. Thousands more are believed to have been killed since the death toll was updated last week.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said early Wednesday that "we've lost touch again with health personnel" at al-Shifa amid Israel's raid.
"We're extremely worried for their and their patients' safety," he added.
Facing growing accusations of war crimes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called its raid on al-Shifa a "precise and targeted operation against Hamas." In the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel last month, the IDF has claimed repeatedly that it is targeting militants even as it has decimated Gaza's civilian infrastructure, bombing homes, medical facilities, schools, bakeries, and the strip's largest refugee camp.
A confidential memo from the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv states that Israel is "deliberately causing massive destruction to the infrastructure and civilian centers" of Gaza in an effort to "showcase credible military force" to "Iran and its proxies," according to Politico.
Israel's strategy, the memo states, violates "international treaties and laws of war."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
gazaisraelmartin griffithsunited nationswar crimesworld health organizationgaza hospitalsisrael defense forcestedros adhanom ghebreyesusal-shifa hospital
The head of the United Nations' emergency relief operations said Wednesday that he was "appalled" by news of the Israeli military's raid of Gaza's largest hospital, where hundreds of patients and healthcare workers and thousands of displaced people are sheltering.
"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns," Martin Griffiths, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, wrote on social media. "Hospitals are not battlegrounds."
Israeli forces' raid of al-Shifa Hospital early Wednesday came days after they encircled the facility and began bombarding it, accusing Hamas of using the hospital and tunnels beneath it for military operations.
The U.S. backed Israel's assertion on Tuesday, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby telling reporters that "we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them, to conceal and support their military operations and to hold hostages."
Asked to provide specific evidence, Kirby cited "a variety of intelligence sources" but declined to publicize "a whole lot of granular detail on that."
Hospitals are protected from military attack under international law and can only lose their protected status if they are shown to have been used for "an act harmful to the enemy." Human Rights Watch argued in a report released ahead of Wednesday's raid that the Israeli government has not provided sufficient evidence to justify its attacks on al-Shifa and other northern Gaza hospitals, most of which have ceased functioning due to a lack of fuel and other supplies.
An emergency room employee at al-Shifa told Al Jazeera that during their raid, Israeli soldiers "detained and brutally assaulted some of the men who were taking refuge at the hospital."
"Israeli forces took the detained men naked and blindfolded," the worker added. "[They] did not bring any aid or supplies, they only brought terror and death."
On Tuesday, according to Gaza officials, around 170 bodies were buried in a mass grave in the courtyard of al-Shifa, as there was no other way to safely bury them outside the hospital compound because of Israeli attacks and firefights with Hamas. A surgeon at the hospital told Reuters that, due to lack of refrigeration, the bodies "were generating an unbearable stench and posing a risk of infection."
"The Health Ministry said 40 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa's emergency generator ran out of fuel Saturday," The Associated Press reported Wednesday. "Another 36 babies are at risk of dying because there is no power for incubators, according to the ministry."
Israel's bombing campaign, ground invasion, and siege have killed more than 11,000 people across the Gaza Strip, but the recent attacks on the enclave's hospitals have made it impossible for Gaza health officials to reach the facilities to count the dead and wounded. Thousands more are believed to have been killed since the death toll was updated last week.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said early Wednesday that "we've lost touch again with health personnel" at al-Shifa amid Israel's raid.
"We're extremely worried for their and their patients' safety," he added.
Facing growing accusations of war crimes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called its raid on al-Shifa a "precise and targeted operation against Hamas." In the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel last month, the IDF has claimed repeatedly that it is targeting militants even as it has decimated Gaza's civilian infrastructure, bombing homes, medical facilities, schools, bakeries, and the strip's largest refugee camp.
A confidential memo from the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv states that Israel is "deliberately causing massive destruction to the infrastructure and civilian centers" of Gaza in an effort to "showcase credible military force" to "Iran and its proxies," according to Politico.
Israel's strategy, the memo states, violates "international treaties and laws of war."
The head of the United Nations' emergency relief operations said Wednesday that he was "appalled" by news of the Israeli military's raid of Gaza's largest hospital, where hundreds of patients and healthcare workers and thousands of displaced people are sheltering.
"The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff, and all civilians must override all other concerns," Martin Griffiths, the U.N. under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, wrote on social media. "Hospitals are not battlegrounds."
Israeli forces' raid of al-Shifa Hospital early Wednesday came days after they encircled the facility and began bombarding it, accusing Hamas of using the hospital and tunnels beneath it for military operations.
The U.S. backed Israel's assertion on Tuesday, with National Security Council spokesman John Kirby telling reporters that "we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used some hospitals in the Gaza Strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them, to conceal and support their military operations and to hold hostages."
Asked to provide specific evidence, Kirby cited "a variety of intelligence sources" but declined to publicize "a whole lot of granular detail on that."
Hospitals are protected from military attack under international law and can only lose their protected status if they are shown to have been used for "an act harmful to the enemy." Human Rights Watch argued in a report released ahead of Wednesday's raid that the Israeli government has not provided sufficient evidence to justify its attacks on al-Shifa and other northern Gaza hospitals, most of which have ceased functioning due to a lack of fuel and other supplies.
An emergency room employee at al-Shifa told Al Jazeera that during their raid, Israeli soldiers "detained and brutally assaulted some of the men who were taking refuge at the hospital."
"Israeli forces took the detained men naked and blindfolded," the worker added. "[They] did not bring any aid or supplies, they only brought terror and death."
On Tuesday, according to Gaza officials, around 170 bodies were buried in a mass grave in the courtyard of al-Shifa, as there was no other way to safely bury them outside the hospital compound because of Israeli attacks and firefights with Hamas. A surgeon at the hospital told Reuters that, due to lack of refrigeration, the bodies "were generating an unbearable stench and posing a risk of infection."
"The Health Ministry said 40 patients, including three babies, have died since Shifa's emergency generator ran out of fuel Saturday," The Associated Press reported Wednesday. "Another 36 babies are at risk of dying because there is no power for incubators, according to the ministry."
Israel's bombing campaign, ground invasion, and siege have killed more than 11,000 people across the Gaza Strip, but the recent attacks on the enclave's hospitals have made it impossible for Gaza health officials to reach the facilities to count the dead and wounded. Thousands more are believed to have been killed since the death toll was updated last week.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said early Wednesday that "we've lost touch again with health personnel" at al-Shifa amid Israel's raid.
"We're extremely worried for their and their patients' safety," he added.
Facing growing accusations of war crimes, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called its raid on al-Shifa a "precise and targeted operation against Hamas." In the wake of the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel last month, the IDF has claimed repeatedly that it is targeting militants even as it has decimated Gaza's civilian infrastructure, bombing homes, medical facilities, schools, bakeries, and the strip's largest refugee camp.
A confidential memo from the Dutch Embassy in Tel Aviv states that Israel is "deliberately causing massive destruction to the infrastructure and civilian centers" of Gaza in an effort to "showcase credible military force" to "Iran and its proxies," according to Politico.
Israel's strategy, the memo states, violates "international treaties and laws of war."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy