13 killed after Israel bombs Shifa hospital entrance

On the 28th day of Israel’s onslaught against the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military continues to target Palestinian health facilities, firing a shell that landed near the gate of al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, killing 13 people and wounding 26, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel has also bombed the vicinity of al-Quds Hospital. 

Israeli forces targeted today an ambulance convoy — previously announced by the Palestinian Health Ministry, which had also notified the International Committee of the Red Cross of its dispatchment — that left Shifa Hospital moving south, as part of the efforts to evacuate the wounded and recover bodies amid the non-stop bombardment of northern Gaza.

The ambulances were reportedly taking al-Rashid Street, which Israeli forces have been firing at, targeting passers-by.

Israeli forces had opened fire on Thursday on an ambulance belonging to the Palestinian Red Crescent on al-Rashid Street that was transporting dead and wounded Palestinians, the organization said in a statement. Two paramedics were wounded, one of whom was shot in the shoulder and got shrapnel in the head and the other was shot in the foot.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that the main power generator at the Indonesian hospital has stopped working and warned that Shifa hospital is quickly running out of fuel. Palestinian health authorities in Gaza said that both facilities are now relying on secondary generators, which can only power three vital departments. 

On the war front, Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military wing, continues to fight off Israel’s military incursion, which is closing in on Gaza City, located in the northern half of the strip, eight days into the Israeli ground invasion of the besieged enclave. 

Qassam Brigades released videos of its fighters targeting buildings in which Israeli soldiers were holed up, and coming out of tunnels to clash with Israeli tanks using advanced Yassin 105 missiles.

In Beit Hanoun, northeast of the Gaza Strip, the brigades said they bombed with mortar shells the Israeli forces gathered at the western side of the Beit Hanoun checkpoint, near the Erez crossing and clashed with foot soldiers in the same area. They added that the fighters sniped an Israeli soldier in the north of Beit Hanoun.

Palestinian sources who still reside in the nearly obliterated northern part of the Gaza Strip told Mada Masr that Israeli forces are currently stationed south of Gaza City, close to al-Nour tourist resort and Street no. 10, in an attempt to advance towards the northwest of the city, near al-Karama and al-Safina neighborhoods, but are delayed by the ongoing violent clashes.

These Israeli forces have been shelling Gaza’s coastal road with artillery, preventing Palestinians from crossing to the south, sources added.

A New York Times investigation noted on Thursday that the United States has sent drones into Gaza to aid in the search for its captives held by Hamas. Israel estimated the number of prisoners at 240, including 10 US citizens.

The Israeli military announced that 24 of its soldiers have died since the start of its ground operations in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s devastation of the Jabalia refugee camp during the past few days has sparked condemnation from a number of international institutions. The UN Human Rights Special Procedures office condemned Israel’s refusal to “halt plans to decimate the Gaza Strip,” while UNICEF described the images emerging from the Jabalia massacre as “horrific and appalling.”

 The death toll of Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip has reached 9,257 people, including 3,826 children. 23,516 have also been wounded by the Israeli offensive, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. The toll includes 196 Palestinians killed since the early hours of the day, the ministry said.

The Palestinian Crossings Authority in Gaza announced today a list of 621 foreign passport holders, mostly American, British and German, that have been cleared to leave the Strip today through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

While the flow of foreign passport holders out of Gaza resumes today, sources reporting from the crossing told Mada Masr on Friday that, as of 3 pm, only seven ambulances were able to enter Egypt through Rafah, carrying 14 wounded Palestinians, and about 60 humanitarian aid trucks, carrying food and medical supplies, were allowed into the besieged enclave.

Amnesty International demanded that humanitarian aid entering Gaza must include basic materials to be used to restore the internet and telecommunications infrastructure, which were damaged by Israeli airstrikes, leading to recurring telecommunication outages in the northern part of the Strip.