Al-Shifa Hospital is “no longer functioning,” according to the WHO

Health officials and those confined to Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, denied Israel’s assertions on Sunday that it was assisting in the evacuation of infants and other people.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Shifa is no longer operating as a hospital and has been without water for three days. Three premature babies and four other patients lost their lives when the last generator ran out of fuel on Saturday, the Health Ministry said. Thirty-six more babies could not make it. According to Israeli military reports, during the night, 300 litres (79 gallons) of fuel were strategically placed near Shifa for an emergency generator that powers incubators for premature babies. The delivery of the fuel was coordinated with hospital officials.

Due to Israeli airstrikes and intense fighting surrounding two major hospitals in northern Gaza, medical staff there were left without oxygen, medical supplies, or fuel to run incubators. As a result, both hospitals closed to new patients. As Israel continues its onslaught against Hamas in the region, fierce fighting is still going on around al-Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza, and al-Quds, another significant facility.

The WHO director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared on Sunday that it had managed to contact al-Shifa and that “the hospital is not functioning as a hospital anymore” following three days without running water, electricity, or a functional internet connection. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the WHO, stated on X, a platform that was formerly Twitter: “The ongoing gunshots and explosions in the region have made the already dire situation worse. Unfortunately, there has been a noticeable rise in patient deaths.”

A ceasefire was also demanded by Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, who leads the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. Before meeting with Joe Biden in Washington on Monday, Widodo made the following remarks in Riyadh: “We must start peace negotiations, accelerate and increase the amount of humanitarian aid, and bring about a cease-fire as quickly as possible.”

After capturing a large portion of Gaza’s northern sector—which is thought to be Hamas’s stronghold—Israeli forces appear to be almost finished achieving many of their goals there. The attacks by Hamas on Israel, in which the militant group killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were not justified, according to UN Secretary General António Guterres, in punishing Palestinians collectively. Isaac Herzog, the president of Israel, has stated that “everything is operating” at the al-Shifa hospital and refuted reports that Israeli forces have targeted it.

As the war enters its sixth week, allies such as the US and France are becoming increasingly concerned about the number of casualties that have occurred since the Israeli offensive started, and are applying increasing pressure on Israel to agree to a ceasefire. “Severely impacting hospitals and taking a horrific toll on civilians and medical staff,” stated Josep Borrell, the EU’s head of foreign policy, regarding the fighting in Gaza. He criticised Hamas for employing civilians and hospitals “as human shields” and asked Israel to exercise the utmost caution.