Israeli army detaining 200 Palestinians in al-Shifa

Summary

• The situation in Gaza 'devastating': UNICEF executive director
• Two Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza: Army
• Israeli forces make several arrests during raids across West Bank
• Israeli soldiers have entered the surgical and emergency buildings at al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza's chief of hospitals has told Al Jazeera.
• Dr Ahmed El Mokhallati, a surgeon at al-Shifa, described to Al Jazeera the fear within the hospital as Israeli forces attacked.
• Israel's attacks on al-Shifa started just hours after a White House spokesperson said – without providing any evidence – that Washington has "information" that Hamas is using Gaza hospitals.
• Doctors, human rights experts and analysts have rejected similar claims made by Israel and reiterated that hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law.
• Netanyahu has slammed Canada's Justin Trudeau for saying the killing of women and children "has to stop". 
• The Israeli prime minister also approved an amended wartime budget after Israel reported a $6bn deficit in October.

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7:49pm

Israeli army detaining 200 Palestinians in al-Shifa

Sources from inside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City tell Al Jazeera Israeli forces are holding more than 200 Palestinians in the yard of the complex.

Meanwhile, more updates are available from journalist Jihad Abu Shanab, who spoke to Al Jazeera from the perimeter of al-Shifa Hospital.

Here are his translated comments:

"I have received several phone calls from the Israeli army asking me to evacuate the house I live in after my interview with Al Jazeera. Israeli air raids targeted the building I was in yesterday. Soldiers are inside al-Azhar University in Gaza City. We have contacted the Red Cross many times, but they said it is not possible to reach us."

Earlier Journalist Jihab Abu Sheib, who was inside the al-Shifa compound during Israel's operation, told Al Jazeera that people inside the compound are "scared, brutally interrogated, and they are humiliated. "Since last night, it's been a nightmare that cannot be imagined," he said over the phone, adding "Before storming the compound, they have targeted all the floors, the generators, the communications unit, and now we can have no contact with the outside world."

6:34pm

Spain PM urges Israel to end 'indiscriminate killing' in Gaza

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday urged Israel to end the "indiscriminate killing of Palestinians" in Gaza, in his sharpest crticism of Israel since since war against Hamas broke out over a month ago, reports AFP.

The Socialist premier reiaterated he "stood with Israel" in "its response to the terrorist attack" carried out by Hamas in October, and promised his new government would "work in Europe and in Spain to recognise the Palestinian state".

5:44pm

'Terror state': Turkish president asks Israel if it has atomic bombs

Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel a "terror state" that is committing war crimes and violating international law in Gaza, reports Al Jazeera.

Speaking to lawmakers in parliament, Erdogan repeated his view that Hamas is not a "terrorist organisation" but a political entity elected by the Palestinian people.

The Turkish leader also called on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to announce whether Israel has nuclear weapons.

He added Turkey will be working on the international stage to ensure Israeli settlers are recognised as "terrorists" during increasing violence in the occupied West Bank.

Erodgan has been vocal in condemning Israel's relentless strikes on Gaza since the October 7 Hamas attack.

5:40pm

Israeli forces 'brutally assaulted' men at al-Shifa Hospital: Staff

Omar Zaqout, an emergency room employee at al-Shifa Hospital, tells Al Jazeera that Israeli soldiers have "detained and brutally assaulted some of the men who were taking refuge at the hospital".

"Israeli forces took the detained men naked and blindfolded. [They] did not bring any aid or supplies, they only brought terror and death," he said, adding that the army is now surrounding every building within the hospital complex.

"More than 180 dead bodies are deteriorating and are still lying in the hospital's yard," he said. "The situation is very terrifying, gunshots are heard everywhere in the hospital's perimeters."

3:24pm

Israel's 'indiscriminate' bombing must stop: US Senator Sanders

Israel's "indiscriminate" killing of civilians in Gaza is unacceptable, US Senator Bernie Sanders says, describing the situation as "one of the more horrific moments in modern history".

"Israel has a right to defend itself. I don't think anyone disagrees with that. But what they are doing now in an indiscriminate way – bombing refugee camps, bombing ambulances, killing thousands of innocent men, women and children in violation of international law – is simply not acceptable. It has got to stop."

He noted the US provides $3.8bn every year to Israel, reports Al Jazeera.

"If they're going to take our money and [President] Biden wants to give them even more, they have got to recognize that they cannot offend American values, what we stand for, what the civilized world stands for."

2:51pm

Journalist: Interrogations ongoing at al-Shifa Hospital

Journalist Jihab Abu Sheib, who was inside the al-Shifa compound during Israel's operation, tells Al Jazeera that people inside the compound are "scared, brutally interrogated, and they are humiliated. "Since last night, it's been a nightmare that cannot be imagined," he said over the phone, adding "Before storming the compound, they have targeted all the floors, the generators, the communications unit, and now we can have no contact with the outside world."

He described utter chaos all night, with constant Israeli fire continuing until the morning, after which those inside the hospital discovered that Israeli forces had stormed the facility.

Now, he says, people inside are being harshly interrogated. "They have told everyone to go up a floor, then go to a lower floor for investigation and then they are forced to be interrogated and they have seen a lot of humiliation."

"Eyewitnesses in the al-Shifa compound have said that there is no resistance at all whatsoever and the hospital only contains doctors and patients and displaced people," he continued, reports Al Jazeera..

2:21pm

Hamas says Al-Shifa raid a 'crime against humanity'

The Hamas government media office has issued a statement calling Israel's raid on Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital a "war crime", a "moral crime" and a "crime against humanity".

It said 9,000 patients, medical staff and displaced civilians were at the hospital when the raid happened under the cover of night, reports BBC.

In a video on X, formerly Twitter, by the Palestinian Information Center, Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq said Israel attacked a civilian facility, not a military installation.

In an earlier statement, Hamas said it was holding Washington and US President Joe Biden responsible for the raid.

1:30pm

Israeli army interrogating al-Shifa medical staff and patients

Under the cover of heavy gunfire and tank shells, the Israeli military has raided al-Shifa Hospital's main buildings – the emergency department, the specialised surgeries department and the maternity ward as well, reports Al Jazeera.

Israeli soldiers are inside those buildings carrying out search operations room by room, corridor by corridor, interrogating doctors and medical staff individually. They claim, 

al-Shifa Hospital is being used by Hamas's leadership or members to carry out their operations – but so far there has been no concrete evidence to back these claims.

The Israeli army has set up electronic checkpoints at multiple doors of the main buildings of the hospital and they are calling people inside, whether they are the medical team, patients, the injured – they have to go through these electronic gates where they can be officially interrogated by the Israeli military.

There is concern about the 3,000 people inside the hospital, among them is the most vulnerable … there is no guarantee that they will be safe.

12:50pm

No Gaza death toll update for fourth day - OCHA

For a fourth consecutive day, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza did not provide an update on casualty figures following the "collapse of services and communications at hospitals in the north", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update on Tuesday, reports BBC.

As of last Friday, some 11,078 Palestinians were reported to have died. Of these, 4,506 were said to be children and 3,027 women.

12:40pm

Catherine Russell says there is "nowhere safe" for Gaza's one million children.

"The parties to the conflict are committing grave violations against children; these include killing, maiming, abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access – all of which UNICEF condemns," she said in a statement after a rare visit to the besieged enclave, reports Al Jazeera. 

"Many children are missing and believed buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings and homes, the tragic result of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas."

Moreover, the UNICEF executive director said many people including agency staff are living in overcrowded shelters with "very little water, food or decent sanitation – conditions which could lead to disease outbreaks".

The World Health Organization last week said infectious diseases such as diarrhoea and chickenpox were soaring in Gaza.

"I once again call on all parties to ensure that children are protected and assisted, as per international humanitarian law," Russell said.

She urged all parties of the war to implement an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire", ensure the safe release of abducted children, and provide unimpeded access for humanitarian aid workers to deliver essential services.

11:50am

Al-Shifa 'perhaps the beating heart' of Hamas - IDF

The Al-Shifa hospital complex may be the "beating heart" of Hamas, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner has told CNN. "Our goal is to seek out Hamas wherever they're hiding and the hospital compound is a central hub of their operations, perhaps even the beating heart and maybe even a centre of gravity," he told CNN in an interview shortly after the IDF began its military operation inside Al-Shifa, reports BBC.

"We've been trying to evacuate the hospital, we've bought fuel for the essential services, we've been trying and attempting to bring mobile incubators to try and get some of those babies out… because the people of Gaza are not our enemy, Hamas is," he added.

Both Israel and the US claim that Hamas has a command base under Al-Shifa - which Hamas denies.

Aid workers say the situation inside Al-Shifa - which is the largest hospital in Gaza and one of the few facilities that remains operational - is "dire". The Hamas-run health ministry has said there are thousands of people using the complex to shelter from Israeli bombing.

11:30am

Only one hospital in the area still operating at 'minimum level' - OCHA

Al-Ahli Arab hospital was previously hit by a blast whose exact cause is still disputedImage caption: Al-Ahli Arab hospital was previously hit by a blast whose exact cause is still disputed. reports BBC.

Only one of the hospitals in Gaza City and northern Gaza is reportedly still operational - and is only working "at a minimum level", the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest update on Tuesday. 

"All others have ceased operations due to the lack of power, medical consumables, oxygen, food and water, compounded by bombardments and fighting in their vicinities," the agency said.

Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City currently houses over 500 patients, and is reportedly the sole medical facility able to admit patients in the north. However it is also facing increasing shortages and challenges.