Israel says ready to evacuate babies from Gaza hospitals as fighting continues
Fierce fighting continued near hospitals in Gaza, including the besieged region’s largest healthcare facility.
Al-Shifa, as the Israeli military intensified its operations against the Palestinian group Hamas. Apprehensive of a direct attack on the hospital, thousands of patients and displaced individuals seeking refuge there fled to the south.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military announced that it is ready to evacuate infants from the Al-Shifa hospital. An army spokesperson confirmed that troops would aid in the evacuation process on Sunday. According to Palestinian authorities, two newborns perished, and dozens more were at risk due to fuel shortages amidst the intense fighting in the area.
Despite mounting international appeals for a ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel’s campaign to subdue Gaza’s ruling Hamas militants would continue with “full force.” A ceasefire would only be feasible if all 239 hostages held by militants in Gaza are released, Netanyahu stated in a televised address.
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At least two babies died, and dozens of patients, some critical, were at risk as fuel ran out at Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, according to Palestinian officials. Israel’s army surrounded major hospitals in Gaza, with intense fighting reported nearby.
The army clarified that they are not targeting hospitals and expressed readiness to evacuate babies. An Israeli army spokesperson stated, “Shifa hospital staff has requested assistance in relocating babies from the paediatric department to a safer hospital. We will provide the necessary support.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again rejected the growing international calls for a cease-fire as the war entered its sixth week. He said that Israel’s battle to crush Gaza’s Hamas will continue with “full force” and added that a cease-fire would be possible only if all 239 hostages held by militants in Gaza are released. In a televised address, Netanyahu also said Gaza would be demilitarised after the war and Israel would retain security control there.
“The war against Hamas-ISIS is advancing at full force and it has one goal – victory. There is no substitute for victory. We will eliminate Hamas and bring back our hostages. IDF forces have completed the encirclement of the city of Gaza. My directive and that of the Cabinet is clear: There will be no ceasefire without the return of our hostages,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
An extraordinary Islamic-Arab summit convened in Riyadh on Saturday called for an immediate end to Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries rejected Israel’s justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defence and also urged the International Criminal Court to investigate “war crimes and crimes against humanity that Israel is committing” in the Palestinian territories.
The summit was attended by dozens of leaders, including Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas amog others.
The Gaza border authority has announced the reopening of the Rafah land crossing into Egypt on Sunday. This will enable injured Palestinians, foreign passport holders, and their dependents to leave the war-torn strip. Evacuations were temporarily halted on Friday, primarily due to challenges in transporting medical evacuees from northern Gaza.
The Rafah border, connecting Gaza and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, is the entry point not controlled by Israel, which is crucial for aid trucks and evacuees, numbering in the thousands.