‘We are minutes away from death’: Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital under attack
Al JazeeraPalestinian health officials say babies in incubators are fighting for their lives as Israel lays siege to the hospital compound. “We are minutes away from imminent death,” Muhammad Abu Salmiya, al-Shifa Hospital’s director, told Al Jazeera from inside the besieged facility on Saturday, where operations had to be suspended after it ran out of power and fuel. “We lost a baby in the incubator, we also lost a young man in the intensive care unit.” Gaza Deputy Health Minister Youssef Abu al-Reesh, who is currently inside al-Shifa Hospital, told Al Jazeera that all generators and power sources were off. Israel claims al-Shifa provides cover for a Hamas command centre, an accusation the hospital’s director has rejected as “utter lies”. However, he added: “But such conduct by Palestinian armed groups does not absolve Israel of its obligation to ensure that civilians are spared … Failure to do so is also in contravention of the laws of war – with devastating impact on civilians.” Al Jazeera’s diplomatic correspondent James Bays noted that none of the doctors or staff at al-Shifa has reported seeing Hamas members in the hospital for years.