Israel Prepared to Evacuate Children from Shifa Hospital in Gaza

The Israeli army announced on Sunday, November 12, its readiness to evacuate children from Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza. According to the Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on social media platform X, the army stated that it would "allow exit from Shifa, Rantisi, and Nasser hospitals in northern Gaza and open another route to enable the people of Gaza to move south for their safety." In contrast, Palestinian officials say that with ongoing heavy fighting around the hospital, people are still trapped inside, two newborns have died, and dozens more are at risk due to power outages. The continuous fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas, along with the daily increase in the number of Palestinian casualties, has made it difficult for Shifa Hospital and other hospitals in northern Gaza to provide medical care to their patients. A spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza, controlled by Hamas, told Reuters from inside Shifa Hospital that Israel has not directly attacked this hospital, but "has terrified health officials and civilians alike." According to him, there are a total of 45 children in this hospital, and two children have died. Meanwhile, Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the Israeli army, said on Saturday that the army is ready to evacuate children from Shifa Hospital at the request of the hospital officials. The spokesperson for the Gaza health ministry stated, "We have not been informed about the mechanism for transferring children to a safer hospital. Until now, we pray for their safety and not to lose more of them." The Hebrew-language account of the Israeli army on social media X published a phone call between one of the army's senior officers and the head of Shifa Hospital in Arabic, stating that "possible routes for transfer from the hospital" have been provided to him in recent days. The Israeli army has reminded that Hamas operates "terrorist infrastructure" in civilian buildings, including Rantisi and Shifa hospitals. The Israeli army has stated that doctors, patients, and thousands of displaced individuals sheltering in northern Gaza hospitals must be evacuated to destroy Hamas operational centers beneath them. Hamas denies using hospitals in this manner. Shifa Hospital staff told Reuters that continuous bombing has persisted over the past 24 hours. Most of the hospital staff and individuals who had taken refuge there have left, but 500 patients remain in the hospital. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has expressed serious concern for the safety of those trapped in Shifa Hospital, stating that it has lost contact with its communication channels in this hospital. The United States, the European Union, and Japan have designated the Iran-backed militant group Hamas as a terrorist organization. Following reactions from Israeli officials, Macron stated that he does not believe Israel intentionally targets civilians. The Israeli war cabinet minister stated that Syrian and Iranian executioners cannot preach to them. Hezbollah has employed new weapons in the war against Israel; Nasrallah stated that pressure on Israel will continue. Netanyahu stated that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, has nowhere to hide. The main hospital in Gaza is in blackout; the Red Cross stated that the health system has reached a point of no return. The Israeli army stated that since the beginning of ground operations in Gaza, it has attacked 5,000 Hamas targets. The Israeli army claims to have captured important Hamas bases in Gaza and killed 150 "terrorists."