From the Palestinian Red Crescent's twitter, 13 November 2023:
🔴 Al-Quds Hospital still under intense gunfire.
🔴 The IDF claims to be attacking a "Hamas terrorist" who is firing a rocket-propelled grenade launcher from Al-Quds.
🔴 The main power generator at Al-Amal Hospital stopped working. The hospital is currently relying on a very small generator to supply electricity only to the maternity ward and emergency lighting. Remaining fuel is expected to run out within the next 24 hours.
11:01 AM:
"🚨 The vicinity of Al-Quds Hospital 🏥 is still witnessing intense gunfire, with the presence of Israeli military vehicles. Our staff are trapped with patients and the wounded, without electricity, water, or food. We hope for their safety. 🙏"
1:10 PM, in response to this tweet from @IDF:
[ID: Tweet by Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) at 3:22pm on November 13 reading: "What could these Hamas terrorists possibly be doing with an RPG at the Quds Hospital?" Attached is a 20-second drone video of the hospital with overlaid text reading "Enemy fire from the entrance of the 'Al-Quds' Hospital towards IDF troops: terrorist with RPG launcher."
The PRCS issued a statement reading:
🚨 The Palestine RCS strongly condemns the false claims by the occupying forces about armed individuals launching projectiles from inside Al-Quds Hospital. The PRCS sees these claims as a blatant attempt to incite further targeting and besieging of the hospital, constituting a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
❌ PRCS rejects these baseless allegations, as the published video clearly shows that the armed individuals approached from the street while the occupation tanks were stationed in front of and shielded by the hospital, endangering the lives of medical teams and patients. The PRCS confirms that there are no armed individuals inside the hospital, and no shots have been fired from within. Everyone within the hospital are patients, their families, and the medical staff.
📣 PRCS calls on the international community to intervene immediately to protect its teams besieged inside the hospital, facing imminent danger with each passing moment.
4:22 PM:
"🛑 Today's attempt to evacuate Al-Quds Hospital failed after the IOF decided to return the designated evacuation convoy to the association's branch in Khan Younis, despite receiving prior approval.
"🚨 The decision was rationalized by referring to a security incident in the vicinity, despite the convoy undergoing thorough inspection. It is noteworthy that yesterday, displaced individuals were allowed to exit through a route specified by the occupation forces, under specific and challenging conditions.
"🧑⚕ Our medical teams, patients,and the wounded, along with their companions, remain trapped inside the hospital without food, water, or electricity, and their is 300 person."
4:49 PM:
"🚨 ⚠️ Today, the sole power generator at Al-Amal Hospital, affiliated with the PRCS in Khan Younis, stopped working. This threatens the lives of 90 patients receiving treatment, including 25 in the medical rehabilitation section who now face the risk of death at any moment. Additionally, around 9,000 displaced individuals have sought refuge in the PRCS premises and the hospital.
" 🏥 The hospital is currently relying on a very small generator to supply electricity only to the maternity ward and emergency lighting. It's important to note that the remaining fuel is expected to run out within the next 24 hours.
"🛑 The power generator's failure is impacting the operations of both the PRCS headquarters and Al-Amal Hospital, which includes the emergency operations room for the Gaza Strip. This has resulted in a loss of communication with the operation rooms scattered across the Gaza sector and the cessation of VHF communication services."
Maybe it's because I work in healthcare and I remember vividly during the worst of covid when all medical facilities were under strain, when there were no more beds, no more oxygen & patients were dying while waiting to be seen or admitted that my heart is breaking imagining what its like in the hospitals of Gaza running out of resources.
Add the fact that they are working through constant bombardment and airstrikes, treating horrific amputations and burn injuries with little to no electricity now and no anesthesia. Add the fact that the medics & doctors are seeing their own families brought in terribly injured or dead. They're getting calls while on duty that their families were killed and its suspected they were specifically targeted.
You could tell me the doorway to hell was under these hospitals/schools/mosques/churches/refugee camps and I promise it wouldn't change how I feel about this. Attacking these places filled with innocent civilians is wrong. How can people see the images and footage I'm seeing and say well, if bombing the entire Gaza Strip gets rid of Hamas then the end justifies the means? It can't! The cost of human life is too high! And that's without even accounting for the propaganda and lies in the mix.
Like many above a certain age I watched the events of 9/11 unfold and a lot of us in the global south actually mourned with the American people. And like the American people we too were swayed by the media's lies so we just silently watched the invasion into Iraq and Afghanistan only for the lies to come out years later. 20 years bombing the hell out of those countries and slaughtering the people indiscriminately and it didn't get rid of the Taliban or other terrorist groups. But I bet it helped to radicalise more to their cause.
Israel is using the same playbook and none should be surprised if the result is the same, if any Palestinian children of today become the Hamas of tomorrow after what they've suffered. I don't support Hamas but I can understand why they would continue to exist and why they might get willing support. And even if Hamas is all that the media says they are, it still wouldn't justify the collective punishment being meted out to the Palestinian people. Killing 8 times the amount of people you lost isn't justice!
I genuinely can't understand how so many can't see that. That there are people celebrating this large loss of life.
I do feel some hope that there are so many rallying behind Palestine, that many are trying to learn more and speak out and that in seeking out information about this, many of us have also learned more about other injustices like in DR Congo & Sudan. But I'm also deeply troubled by the lack of empathy I'm seeing and the cruelty being exalted. I'm angry that the so-called leaders of the free world are letting this happen.
I'm gonna keep talking and sharing what I can and I hope those of you who feel similarly do as well. Keep calling for the protection of hospitals as they work to save lives. Keep calling for a ceasefire to stop the bloodshed and so aid may be let in unhindered. Don't stay silent in the face of genocide. Free Palestine 🇵🇸
Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra says Israeli forces have killed 364 health personnel and arrested 269 others since October.
Dr. Al-Qudra adds “Israeli occupation forces destroyed 155 health institutions and put 32 hospitals and 53 health centers out of service” since October.
MSF (doctors without borders) may have regained contact but it’s unclear to me
The point is this; the number of dead will now start to look lower, it isn’t because less people are being murdered, it’s because they’re after the reporters