Israeli occupation forces raided early Monday the al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City under heavy aerial and artillery cover fire.

The Israeli occupation military announced an operation was underway in al-Shifa, claiming Palestinian Resistance fighters were using the complex.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that Israeli military drones opened fire on Palestinians in the vicinity of the hospital as Israeli warplanes launched fire belts in the area.

إطلاق نار وقصف مدفعي مستمر في محيط مجمع الشفاء في #غزة #الميادين #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/mrsHNCEku6

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) March 18, 2024

Our correspondent also mentioned that Israeli naval vessels fired toward the vicinity of the al-Shifa Medical Complex west of Gaza City, confirming that several people were martyred and others were injured due to the relentless aggression.

He noted that there are bodies of martyrs within the premises of the Complex that can't be reached due to the ongoing Israeli assault, emphasizing that Israeli occupation forces are surrounding hundreds of displaced individuals, patients, medical teams, and journalists inside the facility.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that a fire erupted in the specialized surgery building inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex due to Israeli airstrikes.

طائرات الاحتلال الحربية تنفّذ أحزمةً ناريةً في محيط مجمع الشفاء غربي مدينة #غزة #الميادين #فلسطين pic.twitter.com/Fa6fijkmBH

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) March 18, 2024

In the same context, Palestinian journalist Alam al-Deen Sabah told Al Mayadeen that an Israeli occupation force was ambushed near the complex.

Israeli media suggested that a special unit of the Israeli occupation army engaged in a confrontation in the area, prompting the dispatch of numerous aircraft and armored vehicles.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza held the Israeli occupation accountable for the well-being of medical staff, patients, and displaced individuals inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex, underlining that the Israeli occupation forces' actions constitute a blatant violation of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.

In a statement, the Ministry denounced "Israel's" continued use of fabricated narratives to justify its raid, pointing out that the Israeli occupation army aims to persist in destroying the healthcare system in the northern Gaza Strip.

It called on the international community to reject the Israeli occupation's practices against the al-Shifa Medical Complex and hospitals in Gaza.

Palestinian Resistance ambushes Israeli forces outside al-Shifa

In further details, Israeli occupation forces infiltrated the vicinity of al-Shifa Medical Center on Monday morning but were met with an ambush set up by Palestinian Resistance fighters outside the hospital, Israeli media outlets reported. 

Israeli warplanes intervened during confrontations while the area was randomly shelled with some hitting the medical center to the west of Gaza City. 

On its part, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) announced that its fighters were engaged in fierce fighting with Israeli occupation forces outside al-Shifa Medical Complex. The Brigades confirmed that they targeted an Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC) with an explosively formed penetrator (EFP) near the Ministry of Transportation, adding that the APC was directly hit.

Al-Mujahideen Brigades also announced that its fighters are confronting Israeli occupation forces in the west of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip. 

'Israel' aims to destroy Gaza's health sector: Government Media Office

On its part, the Government Media Office in Gaza said that the Israeli raid on the al-Shifa Medical Complex caused fear and panic among the wounded, patients, and displaced individuals.

The Office indicated that the Israeli assault threatens the lives of thousands inside the Complex, in a war crime added to the criminal record of the Israeli occupation army, which continues to commit various crimes and massacres and continues to harbor the intention to destroy the healthcare sector and destroy hospitals.

It held the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and the international community fully responsible for the well-being of the medical staff, wounded, patients, and displaced individuals in the facility.

The Government Media Office in Gaza called on the United Nations, international organizations, and all free countries of the world to urgently intervene to halt "Israel's" genocidal war, cease its aggression, and stop targeting the healthcare sector, medical institutions, and hospitals.

Palestinian factions affirm the falsehood of Israeli narratives

The Palestinian factions also strongly condemned the continued Israeli targeting of hospitals intending to destroy the health sector in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the factions considered that "Israel's" goal is to deny any chance of survival, treatment, or care for the wounded and patients, pointing out that this is evidenced by the deprivation of thousands from traveling to receive medical treatment and their pursuit in hospitals.

The statement affirmed the falsehood of the Israeli occupation's narratives and baseless claims, making it clear that hospitals are civilian health institutions where no activities are conducted that contradict their defined functions and duties according to international humanitarian law.

Hamas demands ICRC, WHO action

The Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas and al-Mujahideen Movement released separate statements condemning the attack on al-Shifa Hospital. 

On its part, Hamas said that the continued Israeli crimes against civilians are an "expression of the state of disarray and confusion" of the Israeli leadership, saying that it also represents a "loss of hope in achieving any military achievement" in the Gaza Strip. 

It stressed that the failure of the international community and the United Nations to take swift action against Israeli acts of genocide and war crimes has awarded the occupation's military the "green light" to continue the war on Gaza.

The movement demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Health Organization, as well as other international organizations, abide by their responsibilities of protecting what remains of Gaza's medical facilities, which "Israel" seeks to destroy as part of its genocide of Palestinians.

Al-Mujahideen deplore defeatist Arab states

Al-Mujahideen Movement held the United States, western governments, "defeatist" Arab states, and the international system, responsible for the continued Israeli acts of genocide against the people of Gaza. The movement said that following evidence that rebuked the Israeli claims of military infrastructure in al-Shifa Medical Center, the second raid of the facility points to Israeli insistence on abolishing all forms of human life in the Strip. 

The Ministry of Health in Gaza confirmed on Sunday that the total number of Palestinians martyred in the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 31,645, in addition to 73,676 injuries.

Read more: More than 13,000 children killed since October 7 in Gaza: UNICEF