An Israeli airstrike targeted an ambulance convoy near al-Shifa Hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of 15 people and the injury of 60 others, as reported by health officials and aid workers.
The convoy, transporting critically wounded patients from Al-Shifa Hospital to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, was attacked by Israeli forces, according to Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Health Ministry.
“We informed the Red Cross and the Red Crescent (PRCS), we informed the whole world, that those victims were lined up in those ambulances,” al-Qudra stated. “This was a medical convoy.”
The PRCS condemned the attack on the ambulance convoy, which included four vehicles from the health ministry and one from the PRCS.
In a statement, the PRCS explained that the convoy left Al-Shifa Hospital at 16:05 local time but had to return after traveling about 4km due to obstacles and heavy shelling on Gaza’s coastal road heading south. One of the health ministry ambulances was then directly targeted by a missile, resulting in injuries to the crew and patients. The other vehicles continued toward Al-Shifa Hospital, but the PRCS ambulance was hit by an Israeli missile about two meters from the hospital gate, causing 15 deaths and 60 injuries, according to the PRCS.
“The deliberate targeting of medical teams constitutes a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions, a war crime,” the statement emphasized.
Israeli military confirmed its airstrike on an ambulance, asserting that it targeted a vehicle being used by a Hamas unit near their position in the battle zone. The military claimed that Hamas utilizes ambulances to transport fighters and weapons, without providing evidence, and stated that several Hamas fighters were killed in the attack.
Photographer Abdul Hakim Abu Reyash noted that there were many people and vendors outside al-Shifa Hospital during the air attack, leading to the killing of numerous civilians. He added that the injured individuals in the ambulances were mainly women.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed shock over the reports of the ambulance attack on Twitter, emphasizing the need to protect patients, health workers, facilities, and ambulances at all times.
Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, is grappling with severe overcrowding, with a bed occupancy rate of 164 percent, according to the WHO. Over 16 hospitals in Gaza are non-operational due to bombing damage and fuel shortages, as per the health ministry. The WHO warned that the fuel shortage immediately jeopardizes the lives of the wounded and other patients.
Since Israel launched a bombardment on October 7, more than 9,200 people have been killed, and 32,000 others wounded in Gaza, according to Palestinian authorities. The Israeli assault followed an attack by Hamas fighters on southern Israel, resulting in at least 1,405 deaths, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
You may also want to read: Five arrested at London King’s Cross after pro-Palestinian protest banned