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A UN Team Enters Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital And Finds A 'Death Zone'
Bodies of dead Palestinians who were killed in Israeli airstrikes, are seen in a truck in the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.
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Piles of medical and solid waste fill the crowded corridors of Gaza's largest hospital, according to the World Health Organization. And at least 80 bodies lie in a mass grave by the hospital's entrance.
A joint United Nations humanitarian assessment team, led by the WHO, gained the first outside access to Al-Shifa hospital Saturday and saw first hand the dire circumstances of the facility, the groups said. The team was only able to see the hospital for one hour.
In that time, they found that several patients have died in the previous two to three days due to medical services shutting down in the facility, according to the WHO. And now there are just 25 health workers for the 291 remaining patients, including 32 premature babies in "extremely critical condition."
The hospital reported they lost power after running out of fuel to run their generators earlier this week, causing the death of some patients.
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U.N. representatives described the formerly advanced and best equipped referral hospital in Gaza now as a "death zone."
WHO working to guarantee safe passage of remaining patients
Palestinians flee to the southern Gaza Strip along Salah al-Din Street, on the outskirts of Gaza City, in front of an Israeli army bulldozer on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023.
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What we know so far
Death toll and casualties
- Israeli officials report an attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 people. In addition, they say about 250 people were taken hostage, some have since been released.
- Gaza health officials have reported more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
— NPR (Jan. 24)
Al-Shifa has transformed into a focal point of Israeli military operations in recent days. As the military increases its operations in Gaza, the U.N. team is working to safely evacuate the remaining patients at the hospital.
"Over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex and European Gaza Hospital in the south of Gaza," the WHO said in a statement. "However, these hospitals are already working beyond capacity, and new referrals from Al-Shifa Hospital will further strain overburdened health staff and resources."
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The Israeli military has told Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate further south along a so-called safety corridor. Evidence shows that Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire occur daily in the very areas Israel has said are "safer" for civilians. Those attacks have hit schools, residential towers and overcrowded U.N. shelters.
The IDF have claimed that Hamas turned the tunnels underneath the hospital into a command center and used patients and staff to provide cover for its militants. On Wednesday, Israel released video of weapons it said it found in one of the tunnels, but so far have not revealed proof that it was a sophisticated command center. Hamas has denied using Al-Shifa as a command center.
Earlier Saturday, the IDF issued evacuation orders to the remaining 2,500 people sheltering on Al-Shifa's hospital grounds. Those civilians, along with some patients and hospital staff, had been evacuated by the military by the time the U.N. team arrived for their visit, the WHO said.
As part of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas, nearly 240 people were kidnapped. Negotiations over a possible cease-fire that would allow people in Gaza to move about safely and for hostages to be handed over back to Israel is still in the works.
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Israel has strengthened its security with a series of sweeping military victories in the past two years. It has also become far more isolated internationally, with no clear path ahead. -
Israel's military has begun striking the Gaza Strip again, as Israel and Hamas traded blame for violating the ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump. -
Vice President Vance's scathing remark came as he wrapped up an Israel trip, as the Trump administration attempts to keep up momentum on the U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday said there was "no deal on the table and I can't expand beyond that."
White House National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson disputed a report by The Washington Post that said a deal between the U.S., Israel and Hamas had been reached.
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Watson said, "We have not reached a deal yet, but we continue to work hard to get to a deal."
Understanding how we got here
The history of this region is both complicated and fraught. Here is some context about what led up to the most recent attacks and counterattacks.
NPR's Aya Batrawy and Daniel Estrin called the initial attack "one of the most dramatic escalations in violence in recent memory" adding there are "concerns the chaos could spread to the occupied West Bank and different countries in the Middle East."
- This round of bloodshed began with a surprise attack by Palestinian fighters from Gaza into Israel during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. On Oct. 7, militants infiltrated Israel's border using paragliders, motorbikes and boats and fired thousands of rockets toward the country from Gaza.
NPR's Fatima Al-Kassab reported on the history of the Gaza Strip. Some key excerpts:
- The Gaza Strip is a 25-mile-long by 6-mile-wide enclave, bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the north and east and Egypt to the south.
- Gaza is one of two Palestinian territories. The other is the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
- The strip has been under a blockade by Israel and Egypt, restricting the movement of people and goods since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Israel controls its airspace and shoreline, as well as what goods can cross Gaza's borders.
NPR's Fatma Tanis examined how we got here and what might come next in this longstanding conflict.
For anyone looking for guidance on how to talk to children about this war:
Here's the latest on a growing movement on college campuses nationwide, as students organize against Israel's war in Gaza.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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