The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported the death of 12 individuals, comprising wounded patients and their attendants, following an Israeli attack on the Indonesian Hospital in the Gaza Strip.
Witnesses, speaking to the “IRNA” news agency, confirmed that the bombardment led to injuries among displaced persons, patients, and doctors. A shell reportedly fell in the hospital’s courtyard, and a nearby building caught fire as a result of the shelling.
According to these witnesses, the hospital experienced a power outage after its generators ceased functioning due to the ongoing bombardment.
Dr. Munir Al-Barsh, the Director-General of Health in Gaza, indicated that the Israeli shelling specifically targeted the hospital’s surgical department and its surrounding areas. He mentioned that Israeli military vehicles were advancing closer to the facility.
Earlier reports from the Palestinian Center for Media highlighted intense gunfire and artillery shelling directed towards the aforementioned hospital.
The center described the shelling as severe and noted that there were fatalities due to the continuous bombardment and gunfire, though the exact number of victims was not specified.
In a related development, Israeli Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel called on the international community yesterday to encourage the voluntary resettlement of Palestinians outside the Gaza Strip, instead of sending funds for the reconstruction of the area continually bombarded by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian news agency “Wafa” relayed statements from Hebrew media sources about Gamliel’s proposal.
It suggested encouraging the voluntary resettlement of Gazans outside the Strip for “humanitarian reasons,” as she claimed.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has reported that approximately 70% of the victims in the Gaza Strip from the recent Israeli bombings are women and children.
The UNFPA for Arab States emphasized that Palestinian women and children deserve to live. The post further stated, “Palestinian women and children are not military targets,” and called for an immediate ceasefire.