Israel-Hamas war rages as outcry grows over Gaza crisis
"The children are starving," Al-Shifa director says, describing desperate conditions inside Gaza hospital
From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali
The director of Al-Shifa Hospital on Thursday described a grim picture of the unfolding humanitarian crisis within the medical complex in the Gaza Strip.
In a phone interview with Al-Jazeera Arabic, Mohammad Abu Salmiya spoke of desperate conditions affecting over 650 wounded people, 36 premature babies, 45 kidney patients and 5,000 displaced people.
Abu Salmiya said some there were starving children.
“The children are starving – and here I mean the displaced children because they need milk and there is no water to make milk for them,” Abu Salmiya said.
He reported the death of a kidney patient, with four others on the brink of death due to critical conditions and the absence of dialysis for days.
Abu Salmiya accused the Israeli military of besieging the hospital, sabotaging sections and spending the last 48 hours freely roaming the premises.
On Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had begun “a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital.”
Expressing frustration, Abu Salmiya held the world and the Israeli occupation responsible for the dire circumstances, urging immediate intervention.
The hospital resembles a large prison holding over 7,000 displaced people, medical staff, patients and wounded all while it is facing a severe shortage of essentials, the director said. The Israeli military assault has led to a complete breakdown of life-saving services, leaving the hospital incapable of providing for its inhabitants, he added.
