Gaza's main hospital goes dark in intense fighting as Israel's attacks put it at odds with allies
Deir al-Balah (Gaza Strip), Nov 11: Israel's prime minister pushed back Saturday against calls from Western allies to do more to protect Palestinian civilians, as troops encircled Gaza's largest hospital where doctors said five patients died, including a premature baby, after the last generator ran out of fuel.
Israel has portrayed Shifa Hospital as Hamas' main command post, saying militants were using civilians as human shields there and had set up elaborate bunkers underneath it. In recent days, fighting near Shifa and other hospitals in the combat zone of northern Gaza has intensified and supplies have run out.
"There is no electricity. Medical devices stopped. Patients, especially those in intensive care, started to die," said Mohammed Abu Selmia, the director of Shifa, speaking by phone over the sound of gunfire and explosions.
Abu Selmia said Israeli troops were "shooting at anyone outside or inside the hospital," and prevented movement between the buildings in the compound.
The claim that Israeli troops were the sole source of fire could not be verified independently. Asked about reports of troops firing into the Shifa courtyard, Peter Lerner, an Israeli military spokesman, would only say that troops are "in the midst of ongoing intense fighting against Hamas in the vicinity of the area in question". He said the military takes all feasible measures to prevent harm to civilians.
Five patients died after the generator shut down, including a premature baby, said Medhat Abbas, a spokesman for the Health Ministry. He said Shifa had cared for 37 premature infants in total.
Israel has been opening the main road leading south each day for several hours to allow civilians to flee. On Saturday, the military for the first time announced a brief pause in combat as part of an evacuation window, specifically naming the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya next to Gaza City.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the responsibility for any harm to civilians lies with Hamas, repeating long-standing allegations that the militant group uses civilians in Gaza as human shields. He said that while Israel has urged civilians to leave combat zones, "Hamas is doing everything it can to prevent them from leaving."
His statement came after French President Emmanuel Macron pushed for a cease-fire and urged other leaders to join his call, telling the BBC there was "no justification" for Israel's ongoing bombing.
Following Hamas' deadly Oct 7 attack on Israel, in which at least 1,200 people were killed, Israel's allies have defended the country's right to protect itself. But now into the second month of war, there are growing differences in how many feel Israel should conduct its fight.
The US has been pushing for temporary pauses that would allow for wider distribution of badly needed aid to civilians in the besieged territory where conditions are increasingly dire.
However, Israel has so far only agreed to the brief daily periods during which civilians are able to flee the area of ground combat in northern Gaza and head south on foot along the territory's main north-south artery.
Since these evacuation windows were first announced a week ago, more than 150,000 civilians have fled the north, according to UN monitors. On Saturday, the military announced a new evacuation window, saying civilians could use the central road and a coastal road. Tens of thousands more remain in northern Gaza, many sheltering at hospitals and overcrowded UN facilities.
Palestinian civilians and rights advocates have pushed back against Israel's portrayal of the southern evacuation zones as "relatively safe", noting that Israeli bombardment has continued across Gaza, including airstrikes in the south that Israel says target Hamas leaders, but that have also killed women and children.
The US and Israel also have diverging views on what a post-war Gaza should look like. Netanyahu and military leaders have said this needs to be dictated solely by Israel's security needs, such as ensuring no threats emerge from the territory. Israel has said a key goal of the war is to crush Hamas, a militant group that has ruled Gaza for 16 years.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters Friday during a tour of Asia, laid out what he said were fundamental principles for a post-war Gaza, some of which seemed to run counter to Israel's narrow approach.
Blinken said these principles include "no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no use of Gaza as a platform for launching terrorism or other attacks against Israel, no diminution in the territory of Gaza, and a commitment to Palestinian-led governance for Gaza and for the West Bank, and in a unified way".
FIGHTING AROUND HOSPITALS
Concern has grown in recent days as fighting through the dense neighbourhoods of Gaza City has come closer to hospitals, which Israel claims are being used by Hamas fighters.
On Saturday, Palestinians said Israeli troops were within view of Shifa Hospital, Gaza's largest. Israel has said Hamas' main command centre is located underneath the hospital, claims Hamas and Shifa staff deny.
Thousands of civilians had been sheltering in the Shifa compound in recent weeks, but many fled Friday after several nearby strikes in which one person was killed and several were wounded.
Abbas, the Health Ministry spokesman, told the satellite television channel Al Jazeera that there are still 1,500 patients at Shifa, along with 1,500 medical personnel and between 15,000 and 20,000 people seeking shelter.
"The complex now lacks food, water and electricity," he said. "Intensive care units have stopped working."
Abdallah Nasser, who lives near Shifa, said by phone that the Israeli military was advancing deep into the city from its southern and northern flanks.
"They are facing stiff resistance, but they are advancing," he said.
Mohammed al-Masri, one of thousands still sheltering at the hospital, said that from a higher floor he could see Israeli troops approaching from the west. "They are here," he said. "They are visible."
Thousands have fled Shifa and other hospitals that have come under attack, but physicians said it's impossible for everyone to get out.
"We cannot evacuate ourselves and (leave) these people inside," a Doctors Without Borders surgeon at Shifa, Mohammed Obeid, was quoted as saying by the organisation.
"As a doctor, I swear to help the people who need help."
The organisation said other doctors reported that some staff had fled to save themselves and their families, and urged all hospitals be protected.
CASUALTIES RISE
More than 11,070 Palestinians, two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza. About 2,700 people have been reported missing and are thought to be possibly trapped or dead under the rubble.
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said six people were killed early Saturday in a strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp that hit a house. The camp is located in the southern evacuation zone.
At least 1,200 people have been killed in Israel, mainly in the initial Hamas attack, and 41 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground offensive began, Israeli officials say.
Nearly 240 people abducted by Hamas from Israel remain captive.
About 250,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate from communities near Gaza and along the northern border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have traded fire repeatedly.
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Rains lash several parts of Tamil Nadu, cyclonic storm brewing
Chennai (PTI): Rains lashed several parts of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, and the India Meteorological Department said the depression over Bay of Bengal has formed into a deep depression and it is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm on November 27.
Chief Minister M K Stalin chaired a high-level meeting here at the Secretariat to review the precautionary measures and rushed NDRF and State teams to Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagappatinam and Cuddalore districts.
Chennai and nearby districts of Chengelpet, Kanchipuram and Tiruvallur, the northern coastal city of Cuddalore and Cauvery delta areas, including Nagapattinam were among the places that received rainfall, which was mild to moderate in many areas and heavy in a few places.
Due to the rains, heavy traffic congestion was witnessed here in many areas including the arterial OMR Road and traffic flow was affected in several areas as roads came under sheets of water. Also, in Chennai, there was delay in the landing of 7 flights.
State-run Aavin said it has taken all steps to ensure unhindered milk supply to the people and announced that eight of its parlours here will be open 24 x 7.
Stalin, through video conferencing, reviewed the action plan to tackle the situation. Very heavy rainfall forecast covers the districts of Mayiladuthurai, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Thanjavur and Cuddalore. District collectors and IAS officials, tasked with monitoring and coordinating rain-related tasks took part in the meeting.
Collectors apprised the chief minister that adequate number of relief camps and medical teams were on standby and all other necessary arrangements were in place too. Stalin told officials that relief centres must be 'ready with all the amenities' and people should be evacuated in advance from low lying areas.
An official release here said that two NDRF teams have been dispatched to Thanjavur district. For each of the districts of Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagappatinam and Cuddalore, two teams ---one from NDRF and the other from the State-- have been dispatched.
Also in such districts, first-responders and volunteers are also ready for deployment. "Already, fishermen have been advised against venturing into the sea and a majority of boats have returned to shore."
As regards fishermen who have gone for deep sea fishing, they have been informed to move to the nearest harbours.
The state and district level emergency operation centres are functioning 24 x 7.
Minister for Revenue and Disaster Management, KKSSR Ramachandran, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam and top state officials participated in the meeting chaired by the chief minister.
According to the IMD, the depression over Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression and it is about 770 km south-southeast of Chennai and 570 km south-southeast of Nagapattinam.
In its update, the IMD said on 'X': "It is very likely to continue to move north-northwestwards and intensify further into a cyclonic storm on 27th November. Thereafter, it will continue to move north-northwestwards towards Tamil Nadu coast skirting Sri Lanka coast during subsequent 2 days."
