Nov 13, 2023 at 9:04 PM Update: an hour ago
NU.nl regularly gives you an overview of the situation in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. With this time: The staff of Al Shifa Hospital wants a safe corridor to evacuate patients. And international pressure on Israel for a ceasefire is increasing.
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The medical staff at Al Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip are eager to leave. This was reported by the aid organization Doctors Without Borders. The staff wants the patients to be evacuated first. That would not be possible safely at the moment.
Doctors Without Borders was in contact on Monday with people still in hospital. There is heavy fighting around the hospital. According to the aid organization, people who tried to leave the hospital were also shot at.
Palestinian health authorities say 32 people died after the hospital lost power on Saturday. The medical staff want a safe corridor for the other more than 650 patients, as Israel previously promised.
But according to Doctors Without Borders, this is currently not possible. A sniper would have aimed his sights at the hospital. Tanks would also be located in front of the hospital.
Fighting has been taking place around Al Shifa Hospital and Al Quds Hospital for several days. The power has gone out in both hospitals because fuel has run out.
Israel says Hamas fighters use hospitals as shelters and patients as shields. Hamas denies that. The Israeli army claimed to have killed 21 Hamas fighters on Monday. They allegedly shot at Israelis at the entrance to the Al Quds hospital.
International pressure for a ceasefire is increasing
International pressure on Israel to declare a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is increasing. This is indicated by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. He says against Haaretz that the pressure is not yet very high, but that he expects it to increase in the coming weeks.
He tells the newspaper that colleagues ask him in conversations about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. “There are some who, not in public, are asking for a ceasefire.” But Cohen said the Israelis will continue to fight “as long as necessary.”
Israel says a ceasefire would help Hamas by allowing the organization to regroup and recover.
Four Dutch people evacuated from Gaza Strip
Another four people with Dutch nationality or residence status have left the Gaza Strip. This was announced by outgoing Minister Hanke Bruins Slot (Foreign Affairs) on Monday.
The Dutch crossed the border between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah. They are welcomed by employees of the Dutch embassy in the Egyptian capital Cairo. “They are currently working on going to Cairo,” said Bruins Slot. Once there, they are offered medical help and psychological assistance.
It is not clear if and when the foursome can go to the Netherlands from Cairo. We are working on that, Bruins Slot said.
In addition to these four Dutch people, hundreds of foreigners have also left the Gaza Strip. This includes people from Spain, Sweden and the United States. A number of injured Palestinians were also taken to Egypt.
UN holds minute’s silence for deceased employees
The United Nations held a minute’s silence on Monday to commemorate employees who died in the Gaza Strip. This concerns more than a hundred UN employees.
“This is the largest number of aid workers killed in the history of our organization in such a short time,” said Tatiana Valovaya, director general of the UN office in Geneva.
The flags of many UN buildings flew at half-mast. In Gaza, the flag will remain hanging at the top of the mast, to make it clear to the population that the UN is still present and serves the people.
A UN employee hangs the flag at half-mast in Beirut, Lebanon. Photo: AFP
The conflict explained
2023-11-13 20:04:56
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