UN to send team to Al-Shifa Hospital for assessment

Israeli forces withdrew from Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, 14 days after occupying it, leaving dozens of dead behind. Due to the occupation, many parts of the complex were leveled, while other buildings sustained heavy damage.

The United Nations (UN) has announced that a mission will be deployed to assess the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza following the Israeli raid.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric answered questions from journalists at the daily press briefing.

Stating that they had seen reports of Israel's withdrawal from the hospital, Dujarric said that his colleagues were waiting for the necessary security guarantees to begin the mission.

Dujarric noted that the mission to be deployed aims to clarify what happened during the Israeli raid and to conduct a fact-finding assessment.

Pointing out that the situation is dire, as reported by World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Dujarric stated that the team would head to the region as soon as possible.

RAID ON AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL

The Israeli army raided Al-Shifa Hospital, located in the west of Gaza City, where more than 7,000 patients and displaced Palestinians were sheltering, in the early hours of March 18 and besieged the compound where displaced Palestinians were taking refuge.

The government in Gaza announced that Israeli forces had killed more than 400 Palestinians in and around Al-Shifa Hospital, detained more than 900, and destroyed 1,050 homes.

The Israeli army, on the other hand, claimed that it had killed 200 Palestinians and detained more than 500 during the 2-week raid.

Eyewitnesses said yesterday that Israeli soldiers had completely withdrawn from the Al-Shifa Hospital complex and its surroundings.

Witnesses stated that before withdrawing, Israeli forces burned all the buildings of Al-Shifa Hospital and rendered it completely out of service, completely destroyed the floors and rooms of the hospital's surgical building, burned the rest, and also burned the main reception and emergency building, destroying all medical supplies inside.

On November 15, 2023, the Israeli army also raided Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip, claiming that there were tunnels and armories, but after rendering the hospital out of service and causing serious damage, it could not provide evidence to support its claims.