Mass grave to be dug in al-Shifa medical complex: Health Ministry
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The director general of the Ministry of Health in Gaza says a mass grave will be dug in al-Shifa Medical Complex as people are unable to leave it.
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Bodies of martyred Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes, are seen in a truck in the al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, November 5, 2023 (AP)
A mass grave will be dug on Saturday inside al-Shifa medical complex to bury 100 people, after burying them was rendered impossible by the continuous Israeli shelling in the vicinity of the hospital, Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Mounir Al-Barsh said.
"We cannot bury the dead who took their last breaths at the hospital. If we survive, we want to dig a mass grave inside al-Shifa to bury 100 bodies lying now in the hospital," he said.
Al-Barsh reported that "the shelling over the past three nights has been intense and continuous in the vicinity of the hospital, and the occupation is launching airstrikes almost every minute in preparation for entering the complex."
He also mentioned that "the Israeli army's shelling obstructed the entry or exit of ambulances to and from the complex, and those remaining in the compound are trapped inside."
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported a loss of contact with its staff inside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, expressing concern for the safety of patients and the medical staff there.
"Al-Shifa Hospital has been subjected to intense attacks, and patients are still inside, some of whom are unable to move," the health official revealed.
Ambulances stuck inside
Local media has been reporting that ambulances are unable to leave al-Shifa medical complex as Israeli UAVs open fire on anyone who dares move.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the health system has reached a "point of no return," with medical facilities and health workers reaching a breaking point.
The director of the Hospital wrote Thursday, "Today was a day of war on hospitals," further expressing concerns that the IOF might target the entire medical complex.
Describing the crisis faced by hospitals due to the blockade, he said that the situation was "tragic in every sense of the word," emphasizing that medical teams are unable to perform surgical operations, and placing responsibility for what is happening at the hospital on the world.
He highlighted that the displaced individuals within the hospital's premises remain without food or water, emphasizing that the international community "has not provided us with a single drop of water or even a liter of fuel, and we are in a real crisis."
IOF to be unable to enter al-Shifa
On Thursday, as well, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement (PIJ), Mohammad al-Hindi warned the Israeli occupation against making a drone attack on al-Shifa complex.
"Israel is able to get to Al-Shifa medical complex, from which not a single bullet was fired contrary to the prevalent story, but its soldiers will not be able to dismount their armored vehicle," al-Hindi stressed, in a clear warning to the invading Israeli forces.
