UN chief Antonio Guterres expresses horror over Israeli strikes on Gaza’s healthcare facilities and ambulances, as the conflict escalates, leaving civilians and medical services in dire straits.
As the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip enters its 29th consecutive day, the targeting of civilians and healthcare facilities continues unabated. On Saturday, Israeli aircraft bombed the entrance to Al-Nasr Pediatric Hospital in western Gaza and a public water tank serving several neighborhoods in eastern Rafah, south of the Strip, following yesterday’s attacks on ambulances and shelters.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his “horror” at the Israeli strikes that are hitting hospitals and ambulances. Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that the bombing of the entrance to Al-Nasr Hospital targeted displaced people, resulting in several casualties.
The correspondent also reported that the Israeli military is targeting the remaining energy sources for the besieged Strip’s residents, having bombed the main power generator at Al-Wafa Hospital in Gaza, rendering it inoperative, in addition to targeting solar panels on homes.
This morning, Israeli airstrikes targeted two homes in the Nuseirat camp and Rafah, resulting in the death of seven Palestinians. Additionally, three Palestinians were martyred, and others injured, in an attack on a house in Khan Younis, south of the Strip, with another strike occurring in the Tal al-Zaatar area in the northern Strip.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that the Israeli occupation deliberately targeted ambulances in front of Al-Shifa Hospital last night, leading to the martyrdom of 15 Palestinians and injuring 60 others. Concurrently, other ambulances en route to the Rafah crossing to transport the wounded were also targeted.
The Israeli military spokesperson acknowledged the bombing of an ambulance, alleging it was being used by a group affiliated with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas in the combat zone. However, Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra denied that the targeted ambulance convoy was carrying militants, insisting that two ambulances were hit, not just one.
Al-Qudra challenged Israeli officials to produce evidence to support their claims and emphasized that the convoy was traveling south in view of the media, making its targeting a premeditated crime.
Since the beginning of the aggression, the number of Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances put out of service has risen to eight, in addition to the martyrdom of four paramedics and approximately 21 injuries among medics and volunteers due to the recent Israeli targeting.
Guterres reiterated today his horror at the Israeli strike on the ambulance convoy in Gaza yesterday and in front of Al-Shifa Hospital. He emphasized that the ongoing targeting of civilians in Gaza, who are trapped and deprived of aid, must cease, especially as there is no fuel to operate hospitals.
The UN shelters in Gaza are operating at four times their capacity and are being bombed, while the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed deep shock at the targeting of ambulances in Gaza, reminding that patients, caregivers, medical institutions, and ambulances must be protected at all times.
The Israeli occupation also bombed a school housing dozens of displaced people in the Al-Saftawi area, north of the Strip, resulting in the martyrdom of 20 Palestinians.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths stated that relief operations in Gaza are not keeping pace with the destruction and the scale of the humanitarian crisis. He emphasized the need for a humanitarian truce to allow aid to be delivered.
Thomas White, Director of UNRWA in Gaza, said the agency can no longer provide shelter and protection for civilians under the UN flag, noting that 50% of the agency’s facilities have been damaged and contact with many of its shelters in the northern Strip has been lost.
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