The director of Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip denied Israeli allegations that the hospital refused to obtain fuel supplies under pressure from Hamas, and the director, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, described these accusations as “lies and slander.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that Hamas, which rules Gaza, prevented the hospital from using 300 liters of fuel that Israeli soldiers placed in containers next to the hospital on Saturday evening.
Abu Salmiya did not deny the reports about the containers, but he said that the quantity would not be enough to operate the hospital’s generators “for fifteen minutes.” He also added that his team was afraid of being shot if they left the hospital to take the containers. The hospital director added that if Israel really wanted to provide fuel, it could have sent it in cooperation with the Red Cross or any other international organization.
Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said that the Israeli unit for coordinating government activities in the territories, which is responsible for communications with the Palestinians, spoke to the hospital before unloading the containers. He said, “They have not taken the fuel yet, and Hamas may have prevented them from doing so.”
Israel accuses Hamas of misusing medical facilities in the Gaza Strip for military purposes, which the movement denies. The World Health Organization says that conditions in the hospital are catastrophic, and it is almost impossible to provide medical care due to the nearby fighting and lack of fuel.
The hospital, which includes 700 beds, is the most important clinic complex in the Strip. His director said that dozens of children are in critical condition and could die at any moment.
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2023-11-13 09:25:18
