As clashes between Hamas and Israeli forces intensify in Gaza, global pressure on Israel to safeguard civilian lives has escalated. Al-Shifa, the region’s primary hospital, is now at the center of the conflict, with an aid agency describing the situation as “catastrophic.”
The hospital, already strained by the ongoing conflict, witnessed heavy fighting, leading to concerns about the safety of patients and medical staff. The Hamas government and the hospital’s director accused Israel of a strike on Friday that claimed 13 lives, a claim impossible to independently verify.
International voices, including the spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry and aid agency Doctors Without Borders, have called for immediate intervention to halt the targeting of hospitals in Gaza. The situation inside Al-Shifa Hospital was described as “dramatically intensified,” with reports of a catastrophic scene.
Israel denies targeting hospitals, asserting that Hamas is using medical facilities as command centers and hideouts. French President Emmanuel Macron, acknowledging Israel’s right to self-defense, expressed concern over civilian casualties, emphasizing the impact on innocent lives, including children and the elderly.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed concerns about the civilian toll, emphasizing the need for protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian assistance. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in response to Macron’s comments, blamed Hamas for civilian deaths, accusing them of using civilians as “human shields.”
With the Gaza health system described as being “on its knees” after five weeks of conflict, the UN Security Council was briefed on the dire situation by the head of the World Health Organization. The International Committee of the Red Cross echoed concerns, stating that Gaza’s healthcare system had reached a point of no return.
The conflict’s toll extends beyond Gaza, with rocket attacks reported in Tel Aviv, injuring two women. Tens of thousands of Gazans have fled to the south, leaving nearly two-thirds of the population internally displaced. Regional tensions have heightened, involving cross-border exchanges between the Israeli army and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as well as missile launches by Yemen’s Huthi rebels at southern Israel.
As the conflict unfolds, the fate of hostages abducted on October 7 adds complexity. The UNRWA reports that almost 1.6 million people have been internally displaced, while the UN estimates tens of thousands remain in the fiercest battle zones. The situation has triggered emergency meetings in Saudi Arabia, where Arab leaders and Iran’s president are convening in the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Iran, supporting Hamas, denies direct involvement in the conflict, while its foreign minister suggests the expansion of the Israel-Hamas war has become “inevitable.”
