On Monday, the Israeli forces that have been attacking the civilian population of Gaza for the past 72 days again targeted hospitals in Gaza, killing at least 57 civilians at Al Shifa Hospital in central Gaza.
According to the United Nations, during the night of December 17th, 31 people were killed in Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza city, three people were shot and injured inside the hospital compound, and another three persons were shot and injured when they were trying to fetch water near the hospital gate. On 18 December, in the early morning, Al Shifa Hospital was struck again, including the entrance gate and the Surgery Building. These additional strikes killed five people, including children. At about 10:30 am, the hospital was struck again where Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were sheltering, reportedly killing 26 Palestinians and injuring others.
A targeted bombing by Israeli forces killed the head of the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Hani Al-Haytham, his wife, doctor Samira Gevari, and their five children: Shereen, Tia, Samir, Wafa and Sarah.
This video shows Dr. Hani holding a newborn:
This morning, December 18th.
Doctor Hani Al-Haytham, head of the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital, was martyred along with his wife, Doctor Samira, and their five children: Sherine Tia, Samir, and Fa Sarah. The entire family was killed by Israel pic.twitter.com/wFquhelibR— hayder abdellatif (@hayderabdellat1) December 18, 2023
Al Mayadeen news agency reported that an eyewitness from inside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, Sean Casey, Emergency Medical Teams Coordinator for the World Health Organization in Gaza, described a stark picture of overwhelming patient numbers, minimal staff, and a desperate need for resources. The emergency department is a scene of chaos with children being treated on the floor, women delivering in common spaces, and patients with very serious injuries and illnesses receiving only the most basic care.
Notably, there’s no intensive care capacity, exacerbating the critical challenges faced in this unfolding humanitarian crisis.
An eyewitness from inside Al-Shifa Hospital in #Gaza, Sean Casey, Emergency Medical Teams Coordinator for #WHO in Gaza, describes the dire situation unfolding within the walls of the Strip’s largest hospital.
Casey provides a stark picture of overwhelming patient numbers,… pic.twitter.com/uRe9s7r6fD
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 18, 2023
In addition to the killing of 57 civilians who were sheltering in the hospital grounds, Israeli forces dropped bombs in Jabalia at about 19:00 on the 17th of December, killing at least 55 Palestinians, including more than 15 children. In that bombing, many others were injured, and more than 100 were reported as missing. The bombs hit several houses in a residential block in Old Gaza Street, Jabalia city, in the north of Gaza.
On 17 December, at about 11:30, 14 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and dozens injured, when the Al Hinnawy School in western Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was reportedly struck by an Israeli bomb.
Video shows Palestinian civilians who were shot by Israeli forces while searching for food in Khan Younis:
Israeli forces target group of displaced Palestinian civilians in Khan Yunis as they were looking for food.
And obstructed ambulance vehicles & medical teams,while snipers target anyone approaching the wounded, leaving them to bleed to death! pic.twitter.com/eTaVGkpwfb
— Nour Naim| نور نعيم (@NourNaim88) December 18, 2023
On 17 December, at about 19:00, 17 Palestinians were reportedly killed, and tens were injured, when several areas in eastern Khan Younis, southern Gaza were reportedly struck by an Israeli bomb.
On 16 December, according to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, an elderly woman and her daughter were shot and killed inside the compound of the Holy Family Church in Az Zaitoun, Gaza city. Several others were reportedly shot and injured. Pope Francis condemned the attack on the building, declaring “there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, and nuns.” The Israeli army reported that its operational findings had disproved the claims of the attack. Also on 16 December, the adjacent Convent of the Sisters of Mother Theresa, was struck, rendering the building uninhabitable, and displacing 54 persons with disabilities who are cared for by the Order.
According to the World Health Organization, from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10, cases of diarrhoea in children under five jumped 66% to 59,895 cases, and climbed 55% for the rest of the population in the same time period. The U.N. agency said the numbers were inevitably incomplete due to the meltdown of all systems and services in Gaza because of the war.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, between 7 October and 18 December afternoon, at least 19,453 Palestinians were killed in Gaza. About 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. As of then, about 52,286 Palestinians have been injured, according to the Ministry of Health. Many people are missing, presumably buried under the rubble, waiting for rescue or recovery. Between 16 December and 18 December, ten Israeli soldiers were killed because of the fighting in Gaza, including one soldier who died as a result of injuries sustained on 14 December. According to the Israeli military, since the start of the ground operations, 129 soldiers have been killed in Gaza, and 704 have been injured.
