On Wednesday, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded urgent international intervention for the protection of civilians after Israeli forces raided the Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital.
The ministry said in a statement on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates//condemns the invasion by #Israeli occupation army of Al-Shifa #Hospital and other hospitals, demanding urgent international intervention to protect the civilians there.”
It also said the Israeli government holds “full responsibility for the safety of the medical staff and the thousands of patients, injured and children including premature babies and refugees, inside the complex.”
In the early morning hours of Wednesday, Israeli forces said they were carrying out an operation at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s biggest hospital, after claiming that the Palestinian militant movement Hamas has a command center below the hospital premises.
Al-Shifa Hospital has been at the heart of the Israeli war on Gaza that came after Hamas militants stormed across the Israeli border on October 7 and carried out an attack that left 1,200 people dead. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials in the Hamas-run government have said Israeli strikes on the enclave killed 11,000 people, around 40 percent of them children.
The hospital has been a haven for civilians and has been struggling to care for critical patients amid the shortage of fuel, electricity, water, and basic medical supplies.
In the statement, the Palestinian foreign ministry condemned the Israeli raid, describing it as a blatant violation of international and humanitarian laws and “an extension to the violations and crimes that the occupation is committing against our people.”
