Blinken says ‘more needs to be done’ on Gaza as Israeli air strikes hit enclave’s hospitals
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NEW DELHI/GAZA - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday Israel’s pauses in its Gaza offensive would “save lives”, but more was needed as Palestinian officials and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the enclave’s biggest hospital was coming under Israeli bombardment.
“Far too many Palestinians have been killed,” Mr Blinken said in New Delhi, as he wrapped up a marathon diplomatic push in India
“I think some progress has been made,” Mr Blinken added. “But I was also very clear that much more needs to be done in terms of protecting civilians and getting humanitarian assistance to them.”
He repeated US support for ally Israel but was firm that more aid had to reach civilians in Gaza.
Israel announced on Thursday pauses
This comes as Israeli air strikes hit Al Shifa Hospital on Friday, killing at least two people and wounding others sheltering there, Palestinian officials said. The hospital is one of several reported to have been struck at dawn, as Israel battles Hamas in the heart of the enclave.
Officials said other strikes had damaged parts of the Indonesian Hospital and reportedly set fire to the Rantissi paediatric and cancer hospital in the northern part of Gaza, where Israel says Hamas militants who attacked it last month are concentrated.
Israeli tanks, which have been advancing through northern Gaza for almost two weeks, have taken up positions around the Rantissi, Al-Quds and Nasser Children’s hospitals, raising concern for patients, doctors and evacuees there, medical staff said.
“Israel is now launching a war on Gaza City hospitals, on Rantissi, Nasser hospitals and on Al Shifa,” Dr Mohammad Abu Selmeyah, director of Gaza’s main Al Shifa Hospital, told Reuters.
He reported two people killed and 10 wounded in a strike that he said hit the compound of Al Shifa’s maternity ward.
A WHO spokesperson said she did not have details of Friday’s incident but quoted colleagues from the hospital as saying it had been coming under bombardment and there was “intense violence” at the site.
Israel did not immediately comment but says it does not target civilians and goes to great lengths to avoid hitting them. It says Hamas militants have hidden command centres and tunnels beneath Al Shifa and other hospitals, allegations which Hamas denies.
“While the world sees neighbourhoods with schools, hospitals, scout groups, children’s playgrounds and mosques, Hamas sees an opportunity to exploit,” Israel’s military said in a statement.
With Palestinian officials reporting more than 10,000 dead, Israel has faced growing calls for restraint in its month-old war on Hamas but says the militants, whose Oct 7 attack made all Israelis fear for their lives, would just exploit any pause.
The armed wing of Hamas said on Friday it was still firing rockets and shells into Israel and fighting off troops in Gaza.
Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and surrounding areas to alert people to Hamas rocket fire. Medics reported two women in Tel Aviv suffered shrapnel wounds from a salvo.
Palestinian families fleeing Gaza City and other parts of northern Gaza heading south along a highway on Nov 9.
PHOTO: AFP
Even before the conflict closed in on them, the enclave’s hospitals were struggling to cope, with medical supplies, clean water and fuel to power generators running out, and surgery being done without anaesthetics.
Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said Israel had bombed Al Shifa Hospital buildings five times since Thursday night.
In the wake of the blasts, witnesses said many people were starting to leave the grounds of the facility, fearing further strikes. Israel has warned people to evacuate but Dr Qidra said that was impossible.
“We are talking about 45 babies in incubators, 52 children in intensive care units, hundreds of wounded and patients, and tens of thousands of displaced people,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Rantissi hospital has children on life support and receiving dialysis, the WHO spokesperson said, stating it would be impossible to evacuate them safely.
Palestinian officials said at least 11,078 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,506 children, in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7.
Israel says 1,400 people were killed, mostly civilians, and about 240 taken hostage by Hamas on Oct 7, while 39 soldiers have been killed in combat since.
Palestinian media showed video footage of the aftermath of the Al Shifa strike, with people shouting and crying and several figures covered with blood. Reuters confirmed the location as the covered, outdoor area near the hospital’s outpatient department.
A person who said they were a member of staff of Nasser Children’s Hospital posted an appeal on social media.
“We are blockaded inside the hospital by tanks, and we are exposed to heavy fire against us. We don’t have electricity, no oxygen for patients, no fresh water or salt. The situation here is very difficult and dangerous,” the post said.
Indonesia said parts of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza had been damaged in overnight explosions nearby. It did not report any casualties but condemned the blasts without saying who was responsible.
Gaza’s health ministry has said 21 of Gaza’s 35 hospitals and 47 other health centres were out of service either due to damage from shelling or lack of fuel.
Any Israeli attempt to seize Al Shifa would risk heavy civilian losses and could trigger an international outcry.
“With ongoing strikes and fighting nearby (Al Shifa), we are gravely concerned about the well-being of thousands of civilians there, many children among them, seeking medical care and shelter,” Human Rights Watch said.
The Israeli military has allowed some wounded Palestinian civilians to cross into Egypt for treatment and has announced daily windows for civilians to flee northern Gaza for the south.
Deadly air strikes on refugee camps, a medical convoy and nearby hospitals have already prompted fierce arguments among some of Israel’s Western allies over its military’s adherence to international law.
UN agencies have issued regular calls for a ceasefire, which both sides have rejected.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said any use of civilians by Palestinian armed groups to shield themselves would contravene the laws of war, but that such conduct did not absolve Israel of its obligation to spare civilians.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said the Hamas headquarters was located in Al Shifa’s basement, so the hospital would lose its protected status and become a legitimate target. AFP, REUTERS
