Posted on Nov 15, 2023
Bowen: Al-Shifa Hospital raid comes as tone shifts on Israel
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Al-Shifa is the main hospital in Gaza City - I've been there many times. It has big grounds, so people in Gaza went there to seek shelter and camp out as they saw it as a safe area.
It has now become a symbol of the juxtaposition of the war - the Israeli invasion of Gaza inflicting masses of casualties and damage, set against the crisis of urgent humanitarian need inside the hospital.
The Israelis have made a very big point about saying that, as well as going after the Hamas military command, they have brought in some fuel and incubators, because there has been a very concerning claim that premature babies in Al-Shifa Hospital had to be taken out of their incubators.
However, the issue isn't a lack of incubators, it's a lack of fuel. Until Wednesday, Israel hadn't allow fuel into the Gaza Strip because they argued that Hamas would steal it and use it.
Some 23,000 litres (5,060 gallons) of fuel has now been allowed in, but it is only to be used to refuel UN lorries. The UN says the delivery comprises only a fraction of what's needed for humanitarian operations, and the entry of fuel to run generators at hospitals and at water and sanitation facilities remains banned.
Israel says Hamas has stockpiles of its own, and that it should use that fuel for the generators supplying the hospital electrical system.
So there are a lot of strands coming together in what's unfolding in Al-Shifa Hospital this morning, but that's not the whole war - it will continue once this particular operation is over.
It has now become a symbol of the juxtaposition of the war - the Israeli invasion of Gaza inflicting masses of casualties and damage, set against the crisis of urgent humanitarian need inside the hospital.
The Israelis have made a very big point about saying that, as well as going after the Hamas military command, they have brought in some fuel and incubators, because there has been a very concerning claim that premature babies in Al-Shifa Hospital had to be taken out of their incubators.
However, the issue isn't a lack of incubators, it's a lack of fuel. Until Wednesday, Israel hadn't allow fuel into the Gaza Strip because they argued that Hamas would steal it and use it.
Some 23,000 litres (5,060 gallons) of fuel has now been allowed in, but it is only to be used to refuel UN lorries. The UN says the delivery comprises only a fraction of what's needed for humanitarian operations, and the entry of fuel to run generators at hospitals and at water and sanitation facilities remains banned.
Israel says Hamas has stockpiles of its own, and that it should use that fuel for the generators supplying the hospital electrical system.
So there are a lot of strands coming together in what's unfolding in Al-Shifa Hospital this morning, but that's not the whole war - it will continue once this particular operation is over.
Bowen: Al-Shifa Hospital raid comes as tone shifts on Israel
Posted from bbc.com
Israel
Palestine
Medical
Health
Posted 10 mo ago
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So far the Israeli claims about Hamas using the hospital as a site for an operations command center seem to be bearing out. There's no doubt in my mind that Hamas would hijack any fuel earmarked for Gaza hospitals, its just how they operate. I'd love to see some photos of the tunnels under the hospital though.
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