This photo taken on Nov 9, 2023, shows damages after Israeli forces struck a hospital in Gaza City. [Xinhua]
Dozens of patients and medical staffers are trapped in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex west of Gaza City due to an Israeli military operation, the Gaza-based health ministry said Saturday.
In a press statement, the ministry said that the patients, including "30 wheelchair-bound patients and 60 medical staff members," are suffering "inhumane conditions without water, electricity, and medicine."
The Israeli army "prevented all attempts to evacuate these patients through international institutions," the statement said, warning that "the lives of these patients are in imminent danger, and we call on everyone to urgently act to save their lives."
Since March 18, the Israeli army has been conducting a wide-ranging operation in Al-Shifa, marking the second time the medical complex has been raided since Oct. 7, 2023. The first raid started on Nov. 16 last year and lasted for about eight days, during which parts of the complex's buildings and courtyards were destroyed.
Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israeli army, visited the Al-Shifa Medical Complex on Friday, said the Israeli army.
Halevi claimed that the Israeli army was doing its utmost "to avoid targeting patients and medical teams, as the operation has not resulted in any injury to any members of the medical teams or patients."