Heavy fighting rages near main gaza hospital as Netanyahu dismisses calls for a cease-fire
Khan Younis, Nov 12: Israeli strikes pounded Gaza City overnight and into Sunday as ground forces battled Hamas group near the territory's largest hospital, where health officials say thousands of medics, patients and displaced people are trapped with no electricity and dwindling supplies.
In a televised address on Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected growing international calls for a cease-fire unless it includes the release of all the nearly 240 hostages captured by Hamas in the Oct. 7 rampage that triggered the war, saying Israel was bringing its "full force" to the battle.
Israel has vowed to end Hamas' 16-year rule in Gaza and crush its military capabilities, while blaming the Hamas for the war's heavy toll on the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the besieged territory. But it has come under mounting international pressure over the plight of civilians.
In Gaza City, residents reported heavy airstrikes and shelling overnight, including in the area around Shifa Hospital. Israel, without providing evidence, has accused Hamas of concealing a command post inside and under the hospital compound, allegations denied by Hamas and hospital staff.
"We spent the night in panic waiting for their arrival," said Ahmed al-Boursh, a resident taking shelter in the hospital. "They are outside, not far from the gates."
HOSPITALS OUT OF SERVICE
The hospital's last generator ran out of fuel on Saturday, causing the death of a premature baby, another child in an incubator and four other patients, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. It says another 37 babies are at risk of death because there's no electricity.
Health Ministry Undersecretary Munir al-Boursh said Israeli snipers have deployed around Shifa, firing at any movement inside the compound. He said airstrikes had destroyed several homes next to the hospital, killing three people, including a doctor.
"There are wounded in the house, and we can't reach them," he told Al Jazeera television in an interview from the hospital. "We can't stick our heads out of the window." It was not clear if he was related to the other man with the same surname.
Israel's military said there was a safe corridor for civilians to evacuate from Shifa to southern Gaza, but people sheltering in the hospital said they were afraid to go outside. The military said troops would assist in moving babies on Sunday, and that it was in contact with hospital staff.
It was not possible to independently ascertain the situation in and around the hospital.
The Health Ministry says there are still 1,500 patients at Shifa, along with 1,500 medical personnel and between 15,000 and 20,000 people seeking shelter. Thousands have fled Shifa and other hospitals, but physicians said it's impossible for everyone to get out.
The Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service said another Gaza City hospital, Al-Quds, is "no longer operational" because it has run out of fuel. Gaza's sole power plant was forced to shut down a month ago, and Israel has barred any fuel imports, saying Hamas would use them for military purposes.
Nebal Farsakh, a spokesperson for the Red Crecent, said 6,000 people, including displaced families, patients, and medical staff, remained trapped in the hospital.
With Shifa and other hospitals now inaccessible, people sheltering in Gaza City said they were cut off from emergency care. Heba Mashlah, who was sheltering at a U.N. compound along with thousands of families, said a strike late Saturday killed four people and wounded 15.
"The wounded are bleeding, and no one is able to come and help them," she said, adding that the dead were buried inside the compound. The U.N. Development Program confirmed one of its compounds was hit. U.N. agencies have not been able to provide services in the north for weeks.
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Man enters SSC exam hall in Beed, assaults schoolgirl and flees; parents livid at security breach
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Beed (PTI): A man entered an SSC exam centre in Ashti in Maharashtra's Beed district on Friday and assaulted a female student, triggering outrage among parents who sought an explanation from authorities over the security breach.
The incident happened at Doithan centre in Beedsangvi at 10:15am, just before the School Secondary Certificate exam was about to begin, an official said.
"He punched the girl and fled before those in the vicinity could overpower him. The parents of the girl, who were summoned to school, had a heated argument with authorities over the security breach. Others supported them," he said.
The girl, who was shaken from the incident, was allowed to answer the exam under supervision, the official added.
How did an outsider manage to come in without being checked and also flee after assaulting somebody, a group of parents asked.
An Ashti police station official said all efforts are underway to nab the accused.
