Amid the Israel-Hamas war, about 50 thousand homeless Palestinians have taken shelter in Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital. The houses of most of these people have been destroyed in the attack. According to Al Jazeera, this hospital, which is running on solar power generator, can be closed at any time. Despite this, the Palestinians decided to stay in this hospital instead of going to South Gaza.
Palestinians living in makeshift tents in Al-Shifa are facing shortage of food and water. Here, as soon as the day starts, people form lines in front of water pipes and taps. Israel had stopped electricity supply in Gaza. Therefore, people here have to survive only with salty tap water. To eat, people get packaged fava beans, bread and lentils.
41 year old Ghania Haniye is living in this hospital with her 5 boys and 3 girls. He told Al Jazeera – We have set up tents with the help of sheets and tarpaulin. Here we feel safe, but are troubled by mosquitoes and insects. Ghania had reached the hospital from Sheikh Radwan area amid Israeli attacks.
In Al-Shifa, people have to stand in long queues even to go to the toilet. Same water has to be used for washing utensils, clothes, cleaning hands, bathing and drinking. Due to bathing in salt water, scabs have formed on the bodies of some children. Ghania sleeps with her children on two sheets spread on the floor.
Due to all these reasons the risk of serious diseases like smokepox has also increased. Palestinians living in Al-Shifa Hospital have to stand in line every day for food and water. All they get to eat is half a bag of bread and canned fava beans. Ghania told that she gives bread to her children in pieces, so that the food is more visible.
Israel claimed to have a Hamas base under this hospital
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) says that Hamas’s main operations base is beneath Gaza’s largest al-Shifa hospital. The IDF has said that the base under the hospital is also the headquarters of Hamas. IDF has also released satellite images and videos related to this.
IDF spokesperson said- We have evidence that hundreds of fighters are hiding in the hospital. Fighters use tunnels to reach these bases. There is also a command center of Hamas in this hospital, from where it fires rockets. A large cache of weapons of Hamas is also present here.
The IDF has accused Hamas of shielding the 1,500 beds and 4,000 staff present in the hospital from attacks. However, Hamas has rejected all these claims.
