The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has strongly condemned the targeting of a convoy of ambulances by Israeli forces in Gaza City on Friday. According to the PRCS, this attack resulted in the deaths of 15 people and left more than 60 others wounded. The PRCS stated that one of its ambulances was struck by a missile fired by Israeli forces near the entrance to the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Another ambulance belonging to the health ministry was also targeted by a missile. The deliberate targeting of medical teams and ambulances is considered a grave violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime.
The attack on the ambulances has sparked international outrage and calls for immediate action to stop the conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his horror at the reported attack and called for an end to the violence. The Israeli military claimed that they had targeted an ambulance used by a Hamas terrorist cell near their position in the battle zone. They stated that the strike resulted in the deaths of several Hamas operatives.
Journalists present at the scene of the attack witnessed multiple bodies beside the damaged ambulance. They also saw a child being carried away and a dead horse tied to a cart near a blood-spattered Palestinian Red Crescent ambulance. Hamas denied that their fighters were inside the ambulances and stated that they were hit by Israeli forces while transporting the wounded from Gaza City to the Rafah crossing with Egypt.
The World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed shock at the reports of attacks on ambulances evacuating patients near Al-Shifa hospital. He emphasized the importance of protecting patients, health workers, facilities, and ambulances at all times. Al-Shifa hospital, which already has an occupancy rate of 164 percent, is facing additional challenges due to a shortage of fuel for generators, which puts patients’ lives at immediate risk.
The health ministry in Gaza reported that 16 hospitals are no longer functioning due to damage from airstrikes and fuel shortages. The ministry also stated that more than 23,500 people have been wounded, and the death toll has surpassed 9,200 in the four weeks of the war. The conflict escalated after Hamas militants launched a cross-border attack that killed over 1,400 people, mainly civilians, according to Israeli authorities. The ongoing conflict continues to inflict casualties and destruction, leaving the people of Gaza in a dire situation.
