Gaza’s health ministry said two patients died at a hospital in the north of the territory during a siege by Israeli forces around the facility on Saturday, while the Israeli military said its troops were operating in the area.
Gaza health officials said that since early morning, Israeli forces had surrounded and shelled an Indonesian hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahiya.
“Israeli tanks have completely surrounded the hospital, cutting off electricity and targeting the second and third floors of the hospital with artillery fire,” said Marwan Sultan, director of the facility.
“There are serious risks to medical staff and patients.”
Later Saturday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run region blamed the Israeli military siege and said two patients had died in the hospital.
It said the military operation “led to the death of two patients inside an Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, which resulted from the hospital siege and power outages and (shortage of) medical supplies”.
The ministry did not provide details about the two patients, their illnesses or the exact cause of their deaths.
It also accused Israeli forces of laying siege to hospitals in northern Gaza since midnight.
‘State of great panic’
In an earlier statement, the ministry said Israel had targeted the upper floors of an Indonesian hospital, which housed “more than 40 patients and wounded, in addition to medical staff.”
It said “massive firing” at the hospital and its premises had caused “a situation of great panic” among patients and staff.
When asked to comment on the ministry’s allegation that two patients died due to the military siege, the Israeli military told AFP that its troops were “operating near the Indonesian hospital”.
“Troops operating in the area have been trained for operational activity and briefed on the importance of minimizing damage to civilians and medical infrastructure,” the Army said in a statement.
“It is emphasized that the hospital continued to operate without disruption and at full capacity, and that no fire was deliberately set.”
Israeli forces launched a new offensive in northern Gaza earlier this month, saying they were targeting Hamas fighters who were regrouping there.
Gaza’s civil defense agency said an Israeli strike the night before killed 33 people in Jabaliya, which is near an Indonesian hospital.
The UN humanitarian agency warned on Friday that “civilians in northern Gaza continue to face serious and dangerous conditions. Families there are trying to survive in brutal conditions under heavy bombardment.” Are.”
An Indonesian hospital was also damaged during Israeli shelling in October 2023, residents told AFP at the time.
Israel has faced strong international criticism for targeting hospitals in Gaza, which it has repeatedly accused of being used for military purposes by Hamas militants.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
