After occupying Al-Shifa Hospital for over two-weeks, Israeli forces finally withdrew on Monday, April 1. According to the reports, Gaza’s largest hospital has been completely destroyed with a large number of bodies scattered all over and the building itself is in ruins.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that hundreds of bodies of civilians were found at different corners of the hospital building by the Gaza authorities following the withdrawal of the occupying Israeli forces. It also claimed that Israeli forces destroyed the temporary cemetery built by the people inside the hospital premises, digging up the bodies from their graves and leaving them at different parts of the hospital.
According to Gaza’s civil defense spokesperson, dozens of people taking shelter in the nearby buildings were killed inside the hospital premises. A large number of bodies were found burnt and decomposed.
After the withdrawal of IOF soldiers from a 2-week siege on Al-Shifa Hospital:
Dozens of bodies, including women and children, have been found executed and ran over in the vicinity of the hospital. pic.twitter.com/44B1UuB0Pn
— TIMES OF GAZA (@Timesofgaza) April 1, 2024
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) at least 21 patients were killed during the two-week long siege of the hospital. There were around 107 patients in the hospital at the time when Israeli forces attacked and captured it along with hundreds of other Palestinians taking shelter from war. The patients were apparently shifted to an old corner of the hospital. However, their whereabouts were not clear after the Israeli forces left with a large part of the building and the adjacent structures burnt down and in ruins.
Distressing footage of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza which has been completely destroyed by Israeli forces with bombs and weapons provided by the US and Europe.
All of Gaza's health infrastructure has been deliberately destroyed by Israel.
This is terrorism.pic.twitter.com/YYjeljKbVo
— Fiona Edwards (@Fio_edwards) April 1, 2024
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) some of the medical staff of the hospital were killed by the Israeli forces. PRCS also claimed that Israeli forces did not allow the civil defense teams to put off the fire in the hospital which caused massive damage to most of the equipment.
PRCS representatives claimed that Israeli forces executed patients and other civilians who were taking shelter inside the building along with doctors, nurses and other medical staff.
“We do not have final figures yet, but there is no doubt that it is confirmed that many were killed directly by the Israeli occupation forces or [were] starved to death,” PRCS representative Raed al-Nims told Al-Jazeera.
After attacking it several times since October 7, Israeli forces attacked and took control of Gaza’s largest hospital on March 18 claiming it is used by Hamas to launch attacks on their forces. Israeli forces plowed up the premises of the hospital and the ground around other buildings in the vicinity. Most of the buildings nearby were also destroyed.
Israel claimed it has killed hundreds of Hamas operatives and seized weapons and documents from the premises. However, this claim which has been refuted by leading humanitarian organizations was also denied by Hamas itself and stated that Israeli forces killed over 400 Palestinians including doctors and other medical staff during the siege.
Ghassan Abu Sitta, Palestinian surgeon and health activist, wrote on X, “Al Shifa Hospital constituted 30% of the capacity of the health system in the Gaza Strip. The Israelis have blown up or torched all its buildings to ensure that it is irreparable and needs to be rebuilt from scratch. The aim was and remains making Gaza uninhabitable. Genocide”
Attacks on health facilities are war crimes as per the international law.