Israeli troops entered Gaza’s Shifa hospital compound as part of a “precise and targeted operation” against Hamas that runs the risk of intensifying international ire if it causes more civilian casualties.
The campaign at the hospital won’t mark an end to operations against Hamas, an Israeli government spokesperson said. Very limited information appeared to be coming out of the area early Wednesday and people in the vicinity weren’t contactable by telephone.
The Israeli military said it’s bringing supplies into the facility, which houses hundreds of patients, medical personnel and displaced civilians. The US said it has intelligence confirming Israel’s assertion that Hamas — designated as a terrorist group by the US and European Union — uses hospitals, including Shifa, to conceal and support its operations.
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All time stamps are Israeli time:
UN Official ‘Appalled’ by Attacks on Hospital (11 am)
“Hospitals are not battlegrounds,” Martin Griffiths says in a post on X, in reaction to Israel’s military raid.
First Fuel Shipment Enters Gaza: Egyptian Media (10:35 a.m.)
Egypt’s Al-Qahera News and Extra News said a first shipment of fuel entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
Fuel supplies have been running low in Gaza. The UN has said multiple hospitals have ceased operations due to a lack of power. Israel has previously said it didn’t want to allow fuel in because Hamas hoards it from the civilian population and could use it in their military operations.
Jordan Condemns ‘Storming’ of Gaza Hospital (9:58 a.m.)
Jordan’s foreign ministry condemned Israeli forces “storming” Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza and called it a “violation of international humanitarian law,” state-run agency Petra reported. The ministry said they will hold Israel accountable for the safety of civilians and medical workers at the hospital, according to the report.
Israel Says Shifa Operation Won’t End Campaign (9:19 a.m.)
Entry into Gaza’s Shifa hospital compound by Israeli troops will not mark an end to military operations against Hamas, with many difficult days still to come in the conflict, an Israeli government spokesperson said.
Eylon Levy told Bloomberg Radio in an interview on Wednesday that Israeli troops had entered the hospital and begun to deliver medical aid, including incubators for dozens of premature babies in need of urgent care. US intelligence has confirmed assertions that Hamas is operating from the hospital.
“It would be a very serious blow to Hamas,” Levy said. “But it’s not the end and we know that the days ahead are going to be long and they are going to be difficult.”
Israel Brings Medical Supplies to Shifa (8:30 a.m.)
The Israeli military said that it is bringing in incubators, baby food and other medical supplies into Shifa. Medical teams and Arabic-speaking soldiers are also on the ground to ensure those who need the supplies receive them, the military said in a statement.
Israel Says UN Trucks to Be Refueled (7:46 a.m.)
After UNWRA said its trucks ran out of fuel and the US administration requested the situation be rectified, Israel’s military agreed the vehicles could be refueled at the Rafah crossing, COGAT said in a post on social media platform X.
Israel is coordinating with relevant authorities, the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories said.
UN Cites Deaths at Shifa Before Army Entered (7:10 a.m.)
The UN said 40 patients died in Shifa hospital on Nov. 14, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, before Israel said it had entered the hospital compound. The causes of death were not given by the UN’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in its flash update.
Only one hospital in northern Gaza is reportedly still operational at a minimum level, the UN said, after the World Health Organization warned that requiring the evacuation of medical facilities in the north could be a “death sentence” for some patients, since there is nowhere for them to be taken.
“Hospitals and medical personnel are specifically protected under international humanitarian law and all parties to the conflict must ensure their protection,” the UN said.
Netanyahu-Trudeau Trade Barbs Over Casualties (5:15 a.m.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back publicly at Justin Trudeau after the Canadian prime minister lamented “the human tragedy that is unfolding in Gaza is heart-wrenching, especially the suffering we see in and around the Al Shifa Hospital.”
Netanyahu, in a social media post, said Israel is doing all it can to protect civilians and that Hamas is responsible “for committing a double war crime — targeting civilians while hiding behind civilians.”