Dramatic Situations Persist in Gaza as Israeli Military Declares Preparedness for Evacuation
Written by Nidal al-Mughrabi, Emily Rose and Maayan Lubell
GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A crisis was announced by the Israeli military stating preparedness to evacuate infants from the largest hospital in Gaza following the deaths of two newborns and impending danger to more than 45 newborns due to fuel shortage amidst intense confrontations in the region.
Amid escalating humanitarian conditions, the Gaza border authority revealed the Rafah crossing into Egypt would reopen for foreign passport holders on Sunday after being closed on Friday.
Hamas alleged the destruction of over 160 Israeli military sites in Gaza, including more than 25 vehicles, within the past 48 hours. An Israeli military spokesperson claimed that Hamas no longer had control of northern Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reported five additional deaths of Israeli soldiers in Gaza during a press conference late Saturday. The Israeli military confirmed that 46 personnel had been killed since ground operations commenced in the area.
REPORTS OF POTENTIAL HOSTAGE AGREEMENT
Israel’s primary news channels suggested that negotiations were advancing towards a resolution to release hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu avoided giving exact details of a possible resolution, while N12 News mentioned a proposal involving the staged release of 50 to 100 women, children, and the elderly during a three to five-day cessation in hostilities.
According to the reports, Israel would release women and minor Palestinian prisoners from confinement and contemplate allowing fuel to enter Gaza, while retaining the right to resume confrontations after the planned arrangement.
“We will update the families and bring it to the government when we have concrete information to share,” Netanyahu stated. “Until then, silence is preferable.”
Thousands in Tel Aviv joined a rally to support the families of the hostages.
Local residents in Gaza informed of escalated conflicts between Israeli troops and Hamas gunmen in and around Gaza City, home to Al Shifa hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility.
Ashraf Al-Qidra, a health ministry representative in Hamas-controlled Gaza, revealed that operations had been halted at the hospital due to a lack of fuel, resulting in the death of two babies in an incubator. Additionally, he reported that Israeli shelling claimed the life of a patient in intensive care and sniper fire posed a threat to movement within the medical complex.
Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liaison at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil matters in Gaza, refuted claims of a siege and shooting at the hospital, confirming the existence of confrontations but denying direct targeting of the medical facility.
ISRAEL VOWS TO ASSIST WITH BABY EVACUATION
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, Israel’s chief military spokesperson, committed the Israeli military to facilitating the evacuation of infants from the hospital.
“The staff of the Shifa hospital has requested that we assist the babies in the pediatric department to get to a safer hospital tomorrow. We will provide the assistance needed,” he affirmed.
Israel had previously urged the evacuation of doctors, patients, and thousands of displaced individuals taking refuge at hospitals in northern Gaza in order to confront Hamas gunmen suspected of using medical facilities as strategic bases, a charge strongly denied by Hamas. Medical personnel, however, expressed concerns that patients might face life-threatening risks if moved, compounded by dangerous conditions created by Israeli fire.
Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter likened the situation to “Gaza’s Nakba,” alluding to the mass displacement of Palestinians following Israel’s establishment in 1948, acknowledging operational challenges presented by the presence of massive civilian masses in the conflict zone.
‘INTENSELY FEARFUL ENVIRONMENT’
Ahmed al-Mokhallalati, a prominent plastic surgeon at Al Shifa, described the hospital as being in a state of perpetual onslaught for over 24 hours, with most staff and sheltering individuals having evacuated, leaving some 500 patients behind.
“It’s entirely like a war zone. The atmosphere here in the hospital is very daunting,” he disclosed.
The military arm of Hamas ally Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, reported being “involved in violent confrontations in the vicinity of Al Shifa Medical Complex, Al Nasr neighborhood, and Al Shati camp in Gaza.” Al Nasr is home to several major hospitals in Gaza.
Israel had claimed the killing of a Hamas “terrorist” accused of obstructing the evacuation of another hospital in the north. Palestinian officials had previously reported the inoperativeness of the hospital and its encirclement by armoured vehicles.
The persistence of rocket attacks from Gaza into southern Israel was highlighted by Israel, with assertions of nearly 1,200 deaths and over 200 individuals being held captive by Hamas in the preceding month.
Conversely, Palestinian authorities reported over 11,000 deaths in Gaza due to air and artillery strikes since October 7, with around 40% of the deceased being children.
It was stated that Israel had expanded areas designated for temporary cessation of hostilities to facilitate movement of Gazans towards the south, with military sources confirming the evacuation of at least 150,000 individuals in the past three days.
Meanwhile, over 300,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied in London, with more than 120 arrests made as authorities intervened to prevent clashes with far-right counter-protesters. Additionally, more than 20,000 participants supported a pro-Palestinian rally in Brussels.
At a meeting in Saudi Arabia, Muslim and Arab leaders collectively demanded an immediate halt to military operations in Gaza, rejecting Israel’s pretext of self-defense.
(This story has been refiled to fix a typo in ‘newborns’ in paragraph 1)
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Maytaan Lubell, Maytaal Angel and Emily Rose in Jerusalem; additional reporting by Crispian Balmer, Ari Rabinovitch, Adam Makary, Omar Abdel-Razek and other Reuters bureaux; Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
