Israel Holding 200 Palestinians At Al Shifa Yard, Official Calls For Evacuation Of 650 Patients: Report

In a distressing development, Al Jazeera sources within Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital said that Israeli forces are currently holding over 200 Palestinians in the hospital”s yard. Amid reports that the Israeli artillery shelling hit patient rooms at Al-Shifa hospital, the largest medical complex and central hospital in the Gaza Strip, located in the neighbourhood of northern Rimal in the Gaza Governorate, Mohammed Zaqout, the director-general of Gaza hospitals, urgently appealed for the safe evacuation of 650 patients, including 22 in intensive care, from the hospital.

Meanwhile, Qatari mediators are actively engaged in ongoing negotiations between Hamas and Israel. The reported deal on the table involves the release of approximately 50 civilian captives from Gaza in exchange for a proposed three-day ceasefire. However, details and success of these talks remain uncertain.

On the international front, as the public opinion on Washington’s handling of the latest escalation has gone against the Biden government and a recent poll indicates that a significant 68 percent of Americans are urging an immediate ceasefire in the conflict.

Despite some relief efforts, a truck carrying 23,000 liters of fuel has reached Gaza through Egypt. However, a UN official notes that this only represents a mere nine percent of the required fuel, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation.

In a strongly worded statement, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemns what he calls a “barbaric war of aggression and an open war of genocide” faced by Palestinians.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, during a visit to the Zikim army training base near Gaza, reiterates his goal of eliminating Hamas. The Israeli army claims success in capturing a Hamas outpost in northern Gaza, asserting that dozens of Palestinian fighters were killed during military operations.