Gaza’s biggest hospital was filled with doctors, patients and people seeking safety when Israel laid siege to it. Ruth Michaelson reports
Al-Shifa hospital is the largest in Gaza and has often been a place of sanctuary in times of conflict. Since Israel began bombarding Gaza, doctors and other medical staff have been treating patients as electricity and medicines have become scarce. Meanwhile, thousands of displaced people have arrived, hoping the hospital would be safe from aerial attacks.
This week, as the generators ran out of fuel, Israeli soldiers laid siege to the hospital. They said Hamas had been using the hospital as cover – that it had a command centre underneath the compound, placed there to make it harder for Israel to attack it without endangering civilians. Hospital staff said they had to move patients’ beds away from the windows to protect them, and Ruth Michaelson said she spoke to doctors who said they were surviving on dates as food ran out.
