Israel strikes hospital killing 33, stops six NGOs from entering Gaza

An Israeli strike on Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital late on Friday killed 33 Palestinians and wounded at least 85 others.

Medics said that at least 21 women and children were among the dead, adding that the Israeli army surrounded the hospital and cut off its electricity supply.

According to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, the death toll is likely to increase as some are believed to be still trapped under the rubble, with rescue teams unable to reach them.

The attacks came as Israeli forces cut off all communication and internet networks in north Gaza, in a siege that has gone on for over two weeks. Israel is believed to be implementing a plan in the area which involves starving, killing or forcing out the remaining inhabitants.

Homes near the hospital in north Gaza were also targeted, with residents stating Israeli tanks advanced towards buildings and the city centre, while air strikes struck from above.

Civilians told local media that the Israeli army was destroying dozens of houses daily from the ground and air.

Air strikes also continued around the rest of Gaza, killing at least 39 Palestinians across the devastated territory on Friday, the Palestinian ministry of health said in a statement.

Medical NGOs barred

 Israel also stopped at least six medical NGOs from entering Gaza, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said this week.

The organisation added there has been no explanation as to why access for the missions were denied.

The Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) and Glia were two of the organisations that were banned from entering the besieged enclave, despite both having operations in the Gaza Strip before the war.

"Health-care workers are some of the only international observers that have witnessed acts that amount to war crimes in Gaza," Dorotea Gucciardo, the director of development for Glia said.

"It is difficult for me to not believe that the decision to ban international health-care workers is a deliberate attempt to limit international observers in Gaza," she added.

PAMA’s chairman, Majdi Hamarshi, described the ban on his organisation as "very unfortunate", adding that his team had been working in Gaza for 10 years, helping children recover from hearing and vision impairment, as well as training local physicians and granting scholarships to students.

PAMA was sending 15 doctors into the Strip every two weeks through Rafah until the entry point was obstructed by Israel.

"WHO is concerned about the impact of these denials on Gaza’s strained healthcare system," WHO said in a statement, highlighting the dire conditions of the healthcare system after over a year of Israeli bombardment.

An estimated 17 of the enclave’s 36 hospitals remain functional, however there is still a significant shortage of tools, medicine and adequate staff.

WHO also called for an "urgent and sustained" facilitation of entry for emergency medical teams into Gaza.

However, Israel’s military agency which is responsible for coordinating relief in Gaza known as COGAT, said on Friday that Israel "does not limit the number of humanitarian teams that can enter Gaza on behalf of the international community, subject to technical arrangements required for security reasons".

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has reiterated that it could suspend military assistance to Israel if it does not increase the humanitarian aid allowed into the Strip in a 30-day period.

Israel has repeatedly targeted hospitals despite them being protected by international law, putting medical facilities under further strain.

In July, CNN also reported that Israel was blocking Palestinian physicians from entering Gaza as part of medical missions.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 42,500 Palestinians and wounded an additional 99,246 others. The war on the Strip has devastated essential infrastructure and plunged the enclave into a deep humanitarian crisis.