Israel bombs Al-Shifa Hospital ICU; injuries reported

Fleeing individuals came under fire, now dead or wounded in streets as rescue impossible, says senior doctor

JERUSALEM:

Israeli forces bombed Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza again on Saturday, this time targeting the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), injuring several staff members on duty and putting some baby patients at risk of death due to a lack of oxygen after a power outage.

Israeli forces bombed the ICU and the hospital is under intense attack, UK-based non-governmental organization Medical Aid for Palestinians posted a statement issued by Dr. Marwan Abu Sada, head of the Department of Surgery at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, on its social media account on X.

Dr. Sada also reported several injuries to on-duty staff members at the ICU and Al-Shifa Hospital.

Staff moving between buildings have been shot at and critically injured. Those who attempted to flee came under fire and are now dead or wounded in streets because rescue is impossible, he said.

He added that with the mortuary closed, a hundred bodies are piled up and cannot be buried.

Read also: Israel faces pressure over Gaza deaths as fighting rages near hospitals

“Power has gone, staff are having to hand ventilate patients, and babies in neonatal ICU are starting to die from lack of oxygen,” Dr. Sada added.

“Israel's war on hospitals must end,” he stressed.

However, an Israeli Army spokesperson said in a statement that the Israeli military is "engaged in an intense conflict" with Hamas around the Al-Shifa Hospital, without providing further details.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women.

The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.