Al-Shifa massacre in Gaza: bodies in the streets, execution of children, and detention of naked civilians

The echoes of the Shifa Medical Complex massacre carried out by the Israeli occupation are still reverberating in Gaza, as the death toll reached about 250 martyrs and wounded, and eyewitnesses reported that bodies were scattered in the streets and homes, in addition to the besieging of civilians and the detention of a number of them in the hospital and interrogation of them naked.

250 Palestinian civilians were killed and injured yesterday, Monday, as a result of the Israeli occupation army targeting Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City, according to the government media office in the Strip.

The office said in a statement on Tuesday: “While the Israeli army stormed the Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Monday, the forces fired heavy fire, shells and missiles towards patients, displaced people and civilians, which led to the death and injury of more than 250 civilians. They also burned some facilities inside the hospital.”

He explained that the storming of the Shifa complex involved hundreds of heavily armed occupation soldiers, police dogs, and dozens of tanks, drones, and helicopters.

Execution of children

He continued: "We received field information about the occupation army's execution of a number of children among those executed, including civilians, patients, and displaced people (in the Al-Shifa Complex and its environs)."

He considered that the Israeli occupation army's admission of committing "bloody massacres", executing 50 civilians, and arresting 200 others in and around the Shifa Medical Complex, "a clear war crime and a flagrant violation of international law."

The office held Israel, the American administration, and the international community “fully responsible for this horrific massacre, which we warned against committing in the first hours of the storm.”

He called on all international and international organizations and the countries of the free world to “intervene immediately and urgently to stop the genocidal war and stop the aggression against Gaza, which specifically targets civilians, children and women.”

He called on health institutions around the world to condemn these "serial crimes" committed by Israel against hospitals and health institutions, aiming to completely eliminate the health sector.

In this context, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Tuesday that patients and medical staff detained at Al-Shifa Medical Complex are continuing their fasting for the second day in a row, as they were unable to eat breakfast yesterday as a result of the lack of water and food due to the Israeli siege.

In a statement, the Ministry called on international organizations to "stop these crimes against the sick, wounded, and medical staff inside the hospital."

Horrific field testimonies

For his part, Moamen Bulbul (24 years old), a volunteer in the hospital’s reception department, said, “Yesterday (Monday) the Israeli army suddenly stormed the hospital with vehicles, opened fire and bombed the buildings, and arrested women and men.”

He explained that during the arrest, the occupation forces forced the detainees to take off their clothes, interrogated them, and took some to an unknown destination.

Bulbul added that the Israeli occupation forces forced dozens of Palestinians to flee south of Gaza City while they were naked and handcuffed.

He reported that he was exposed to bullet fragments when Israeli soldiers shot him and his brother inside the hospital, and they were able to flee towards the southern areas of the Gaza Strip.

Siege of homes and cutting off communications

Other eyewitnesses said that army forces were stationed near the "Al-Shifa Tower" on Izz al-Din al-Qassam Street, north of the hospital, and at the intersections of Al-Abbas and Rashad Al-Shawa roads from the south, in addition to the "Ard Bakr" area from the west to the end of "Abu Hasira Street."

Witnesses indicated that Quadcopter drones were deployed in the streets of the city and around the hospital, firing at any moving object, while occupation army forces were atop high-rise buildings.

Since yesterday, Monday, telephone and Internet access has been cut off for hundreds of displaced people in Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Witnesses explained that tens of thousands of Palestinians are trapped in the area surrounding Al-Shifa Hospital in their homes without food and water, and are afraid to go out for fear of being shot. They pointed out that the continuation of the siege in light of the lack of food and water may lead to the loss of the lives of residents in their homes.

Corpses in the streets

For his part, a source in the Palestinian Civil Defense in Gaza reported that the occupation army killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians, and the bodies of most of them are still dumped in the streets and homes and have not been transported to hospitals due to the difficulty of reaching them.

Since yesterday, Monday, an Israeli army force has continued military operations in Gaza City, including storming Al-Shifa Hospital, despite the fact that there are thousands of sick, wounded, and displaced people inside.

This is the second time that Israeli forces have stormed the complex, since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023. They stormed it on November 16, after besieging it for a week, then withdrew from it after 8 days, during which its courtyards and parts were destroyed. Of its buildings and medical equipment, in addition to the electricity generator.