From hospital beds to body bags: Israeli crimes know no limit
8 Min Read
Bombing and targeting civilian infrastructure is not new to "Israel", it is a common practice.
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Gaza hospitals under attack (Illustrated by Zeinab Roumani, Al Mayadeen English)
As “Israel” pursues its aggression against civilians in the blockaded Gaza Strip, Palestinians head to the one place that they deem safe - hospitals. Yet, even hospitals were not spared from Israeli bombs and airstrikes.
On that ominous night, with hundreds of Palestinian refugees seeking shelter in al-Ahli Arab Hospital, “Israel” committed one of its most brutal massacres so far, 12 days after the aggression.
A father carries the body parts of his children in bags after the brutal Israeli massacre on the #BaptistHospital in #Gaza.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/NSZYqDcEVE
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
“Israel” butchered hundreds of Palestinians including refugees, patients, and media personnel, in an attack labeled as "unparalleled and beyond description" by the Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson.
"Unparalleled and beyond description."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 18, 2023
That's how the #Gaza Health Ministry spokesperson described the Israeli massacre in the #BaptistHospital.
More than 600 have been murdered in cold blood in this massacre only by the bloodthirsty Israeli occupation forces so far.… pic.twitter.com/LjG8zcuGiQ
When a picture is truly worth a thousand words.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
A photo being circulated on social media platforms shows hundreds of #Palestinians' bodies laid on the ground after "Israel" committed a massacre that amounts to genocide by bombing Al-Maamadani Hospital in #Gaza.#Palestine… pic.twitter.com/5315uk9ttX
The Palestinian Health Ministry revealed that the hospital was sheltering not only hundreds of sick and wounded but also people forcibly displaced from their homes escaping Israeli aggression.
At least 600 were killed in the attack, with footage circulating depicting an atrocious crime as martyrs were left there dismembered and beyond recognition.
Disclaimer: Sensitive content #Watch | Horrific scenes show the aftermath of the Israeli massacre in the Al-Maamadani Hospital in the #Gaza Strip. #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/wmeN0mD8Ui
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
In a chilling scene, surrounded by dead bodies to showcase the atrocity of the crime, the director of the Gaza hospital revealed that all the victims and the wounded in the al-Ahli hospital massacre were civilians, as the hospital was considered a safe haven for civilians displaced in Gaza.
🚨From between piles of bodies, the Director General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza held a press conference:
— Ahmed Abofoul | أحمد أبو فول (@AhmedAbofoul) October 17, 2023
🔹All the victims & the wounded in the Baptist(Al Ahli) hospital massacre were civilians.
🔹The hospital was considered a safe haven for civilians displaced in #Gaza. pic.twitter.com/EYrFdvUvl2
Meanwhile, Don Binder, Chaplain to the Anglican Archbishop in occupied al-Quds, revealed that the attack on the same hospital was not “Israel’s” first.
In a post on Facebook three days ago, the chaplain revealed that al-Ahli Hospital's Diagnostic Cancer Treatment Center in Gaza came under attack.
“At about 7:30 pm local time today, Ahli Hospital's Diagnostic Cancer Treatment Center in Gaza was hit by Israeli rocket fire,” which severely damaged the two upper floors, including the Ultrasound and Mammography wards, the chaplain had warned.
In his post, he urged whoever has any political influence to force the Israeli government to waive off the IOF “from bombing our hospital!”
Yet, nothing was done. The warning fell on deaf ears and thus came today’s massacre.
Stuck in the mud? Deflect attention
This comes as some Israeli and pro-Israeli accounts claimed that the attack was a failed Resistance launch, in a weak attempt to absolve the Israeli occupation from any responsibility and pin the blame on Palestinian Resistance factions.
However, based on the speed of the object, it can't be a dud missile, as rockets failing to accelerate would have much lower speeds.
The speed difference can be easily identified between gliding munition launched from the air and failing-to-accelerate dud missiles. Hence, the object that hit the hospital was most definitely an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli occupation deliberately bombed Al-Maamadani Hospital in the #Gaza Strip with the death toll expected to reach over 800 #Palestinians.#GazaUnderAttack #المستشفى_المعمداني pic.twitter.com/73mHZsgBBX
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
This is even supported by BBC’s reporter John Donnison, who said, "It's hard to see what else this could be, really, given the size of the explosion, other than an Israeli air strike, or several air strikes."
BREAKING: AL-AHLI BAPTIST HOSPITAL MASSACRE - BBC JOURNALIST STATES IT HAD TO BE ISRAEL
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) October 17, 2023
BBC's John Donnison: "It's hard to see what else this could be, really, given the size of the explosion, other than an Israeli air strike, or several air strikes" pic.twitter.com/Gxx4evC9DW
In response to the Israeli accusations, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) Movement issued a statement slamming the Israeli attempts at falsifying the truth and accusing the PIJ of bombing al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
The statement stressed that "hurling accusations at the PIJ will not absolve the enemy of its responsibility for the massacre.”
"The enemy is trying to fabricate lies, as usual, to evade responsibility for the brutal massacre,” the statement read.
The PIJ confirmed in the statement that the movement, like the rest of the Resistance factions in Gaza, "does not use places of worship or public facilities, especially hospitals, as military sites or positions to store weapons or launch rockets."
Not a first; a common practice
Going a few days back, and despite global appeals to protect healthcare facilities from Israeli airstrikes and forced displacement orders, Israeli threats targeted hospitals in the Gaza Strip, endangering the well-being of patients and the wounded.
While the IOF claim that they do not target hospitals, the UN and Doctors Without Borders said Israeli airstrikes have struck medical facilities, including hospitals and ambulances.
"Israel" demanded that al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza forcibly evacuate its patients and staff within a two-hour timeframe, subsequently extending the deadline until 6:00 am.
A #Palestinian ambulance driver who has been working round the clock to transfer the victims of the Israeli aggression in an Israeli-stricken ambulance breaks down.#Gaza #GazaUnderAttack #Palestine pic.twitter.com/2FK7JGEUQI
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 13, 2023
In response to the evacuation order, the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) rights group issued a statement on the X platform, expressing strong condemnation for the ongoing indiscriminate attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza and underscoring the intricacies involved in the process of forced displacement.
“We unequivocally condemn this action, the continued indiscriminate bloodshed and attacks on health care in Gaza. We are trying to protect our staff and patients,” MSF says. “The evacuation of patients remains complicated.”
🔴BREAKING:
— MSF International (@MSF) October 13, 2023
Israel has given Al Awda Hospital just two hours to evacuate. Our staff are still treating patients.
We unequivocally condemn this action, the continued indiscriminate bloodshed and attacks on health care in Gaza.
We are trying to protect our staff and patients.
On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes hit two densely populated refugee camps and an UNRWA school housing displaced people in central Gaza, killing at least 18 people and injuring scores, Palestinian officials said.
Israeli warplanes also carried out airstrikes in the vicinity of the hospital in Tel al-Zaatar, northern Gaza, as part of their attempt to exert pressure on the hospital and expedite the displacement process.
In the same context, al-Durra Children's Hospital in the east of the Gaza Strip was forced to evacuate its staff and patients after it was pounded with white phosphorus munitions.
Furthermore, the Israeli aggression has left the Beit Hanoun hospital inoperable and has damaged the newborn section at al-Shifa Hospital.
Read more: Israeli airstrikes, siege wreak havoc in Gaza's hospitals
At Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, patients were being treated on the floor and in corridors, while the morgue was at full capacity, forcing medics to store bodies in ice-cream refrigerators.
#AlMayadeen's correspondent in #Gaza said medical crews are using ice cream freezers to keep the bodies of martyrs in the Strip in light of the unjust siege that encompasses everything, stressing that all the martyrs arriving at hospitals are civilians. #GazaUnderAttack… pic.twitter.com/5HDNKciOZo
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 14, 2023
With the situation at the hospital spiraling down, medics revealed that they were performing surgeries on injured Palestinians without anesthesia and in the middle of the streets.
Amidst the heart-wrenching chaos, #Gaza's medical heroes remain steadfast. The head of Al-Shifaa Hospital in Gaza stated that medics are performing surgeries on injured Palestinians without anesthesia and in the middle of the streets.#Palestine#GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/imYLi0cixZ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 17, 2023
While the Israeli occupation tries to absolve itself from responsibility claiming that it is only after military targets, circulated footage clearly shows its bank of targets: children, women, ambulances, civil defense crews, hospitals, and schools.
The Israeli raids have killed at least 3,000 Palestinians, including at least 800 children.
Medics attempt to resuscitate members of the civil defense team after being targeted by the Israeli occupation during their rescue missions in #Gaza.#PalestineGenocide #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/c04U7ZX76T
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 15, 2023
As a matter of fact, several statements by international organizations and UN agencies have accused the Israeli occupation of targeting civilian facilities, contrary to its claims.
WHO said 111 medical buildings have been hit, 12 medical workers have been killed, and 60 ambulances were targeted.
Adding insult to injury, “Israel” tightened its grip on Gaza rendering the conditions across the Strip unbearable for the 2.3 million population, according to aid agencies.
UNICEF, the UN children's agency, said that unless water and fuel are sent "immediately", Gaza inhabitants are in "imminent danger" of epidemics and death.
Read next: 'Israel' to utilize water supply to drive people out of northern Gaza
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued an urgent warning about the probable loss of lives of two million people inside Gaza, as a result of the siege imposed by the Israelis on the people.
"People are forced to use dirty water from wells, which increases the risk of spreading water-borne diseases," said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA.
The water issue "has become a matter of life and death," he added, calling for fuel to be urgently delivered now to Gaza to provide water for two million people.
The only crossing to the rest of the world at Rafah is closed, not to mention that it came under several Israeli attacks.
To sum up, just imagine being stuck in a total area of 365 square km, which is home to 2.3 million people, with an occupation lurking just outside your Strip from the east and north and a crossing to the southwest completely closed and the Mediterranean Sea right to your west.
Then imagine a brutal occupation indiscriminately dropping bombs and missiles on houses, residential towers, hospitals, and schools... targeting everything civilian in that Strip.
Now imagine the school people sought refuge in being bombed...
Where would you go?
Where would you hide?
This is a reality the Palestinians have to endure every single day of their lives until... LIBERATION comes along.
Read next: Gallant orders electricity, water cut off from Gaza's 'human animals'
