Israel carries out another attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, causes major damage to ICU

The Israeli army carried out another attack on Al-Shifa Hospital in the Gaza Strip on Sunday afternoon, causing significant damage to the intensive care unit, the Ministry of Health in Gaza said.

The ministry's spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said the second Israeli army attack of the day caused significant damage to the intensive care unit building.

The hospital's cardiology unit was severely damaged in the morning by Israeli military attack.

Al-Qudra said in a statement shared with Anadolu that "major damage was caused to the intensive care building in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex, west of Gaza City, as a result of being targeted again by the Israeli army."

He added: "The occupation (forces) recently targeted a number of people as they attempted to leave Al-Shifa."

According to Palestinian medical sources, the Israeli army has been surrounding the hospital since Saturday and opening fire on "whoever moves."

The medical complex is reported to be largely out of service, and running low on medical equipment and supplies.

Al-Qudra stressed that "urgent intervention is necessary to the situation in Al-Shifa Medical Complex, otherwise we will lose more wounded patients."

Earlier on Sunday, the Director General of Hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Zaqout, warned in a press conference that the catastrophic situation at Al-Shifa Medical Complex threatens the lives of approximately 650 patients and wounded, including 36 children.

Al-Shifa Hospital and its surroundings, as well as other hospitals in the Gaza Strip, are constantly being targeted by the Israeli army in the last few days.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip -- including hospitals, residences, and houses of worship -- since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

The number of deaths in the ongoing Israeli military attacks on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has surpassed the grim figure of 11,100, including more than 8,000 children and women, the government media office in Gaza said on Sunday.

The Israeli death toll is nearly 1,200, according to official figures.