Rights Group Raises Concerns over Potential Staging by Israeli Forces at Al-Shifa Hospital

“The Israeli army is the only party controlling the scene inside the al-Shifa Medical Complex, amid a total media blackout. No third party or international organization was permitted to be present inside, which raises doubts about any Israeli narrative that would be released later,” the Geneva-based organization said in a statement.

The monitor added, “Israeli allegations about the use of the al-Shifa Medical Complex for military purposes do not require extended hours of searching and raiding. Therefore, there are concerns that the army might be creating the scene that might be released later.”

In response to the Israeli army's raid on al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s government media office warned of a potential massacre. Given the presence of hundreds of medical staff, patients, and displaced people inside the complex, the statement labeled Israel’s actions as “a war crime and a crime against humanity.”

The media office held Israel, the US, and the international community “fully responsible for the safety of thousands of people inside the facility.”

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that the organization has lost touch with health personnel at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza after Israeli forces began what they described as a “targeted operation” inside the facility.

“Reports of military incursion into al-Shifa hospital are deeply concerning,” the WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, wrote on social media, Reuters reported.

“We’ve lost touch again with health personnel at the hospital. We’re extremely worried for their and their patients’ safety.”

On Wednesday morning, the Israeli military entered Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, claiming it was a "precise and targeted operation" against Hamas. This move followed the US backing Israel's claims that Hamas was storing weapons in medical facilities. Al-Shifa has become a focal point in the regime’s nearly forty-day offensive in Gaza.

International concerns have risen regarding the fate of the hospital's patients and the thousands seeking refuge from Israel's bombardment. Unfortunately, the hospital ceased operations over the weekend due to the Israeli military siege and a lack of fuel.