Within two weeks, Israel has carried out at least 574 massacres in Gaza.
The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has condemned the “savage and unrelenting” Israeli attacks on hospitals and first responders in Gaza on Sunday as occupation forces continued decimating the local health sector.
In a statement, QRCS expressed its rejection of Israel’s “ incessant violations of international humanitarian law” and condemned last week’s massacre at the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
“Four ambulance personnel of Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) were killed while performing their humanitarian and medical job on the field, and hundreds of doctors, wounded people, and patients lost their lives in the deliberate bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Zeitoun District, Gaza,” QRCS said.
The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed at least 500 Palestinians seeking treatment and shelter at the Christian-run facility last week, pushing the current overall death toll to some 4,651 Palestinians, including at least 1,765 children.
Within two weeks, the IOF has carried out at least 574 massacres in Gaza, Palestine’s news agency Wafa said on Sunday. There are at least 1,450 people, including 800 children, still missing under the rubble.
“QRCS strongly condemns the savage and unrelenting bombing of Gaza since 7 October 2023, which has killed, injured, and displaced thousands of civilian Palestinians, including women and children,” the statement said.
The Qatari humanitarian entity also condemned the IOF’s attacks on health workers and first responders, stressing “that they are not a target”. It noted that the assaults breach “the universal values of mercy, humanity, and sanctity of life; and seriously undermine international peace and security.”
“QRCS reiterates that it is imperative to respect the four Geneva Conventions and all the international instruments that provide for the protection of medical personnel, facilities, and teams showing the Red Crescent or Red Cross emblem,” the statement added.
Since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza, the IOF has targeted hundreds of residential units, hospitals, schools, journalists, and first responders. Thousands of Palestinians have fled to schools and hospitals to seek shelter from the relentless bombing.
At least one million people in Gaza have been internally displaced since the beginning of the war, the United Nations said on Saturday.
Since last week, the IOF have been threatening to bomb more hospitals in Gaza and have sent several evacuation orders to medics on the ground.
On Sunday night, the Al Quds hospital in Gaza received a one-hour warning from the IOF to evacuate the site before it then targeted its surroundings. The hospital is currently hosting at least 400 patients including 12,000 Palestinians displaced by the Israeli war.
Footage shared by the PRCS on social media also documented the Israeli airstrikes in the the vicinity of the Al Quds hospital.
“The IOF demands the evacuation of Al-Quds Hospital, a sanctuary for over 400 patients and around 12,000 displaced civilians. We call the international community to act urgently, averting another catastrophe like Al-Ahli Hospital,” the PRCS said in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Israel has also cut off all access to food, water, and electricity to Gaza under a brutal embargo imposed on the Strip at the start of the war. While just 37 aid trucks have been granted entry through the Rafah crossing over the last few days, none contained fuel to keep hospitals running.
Gaza’s health ministry separately said the lives of at least 130 premature babies are in danger due to the lack of fuel which generates electricity and keeps incubators operating.
Meanwhile on Monday, the United Nations’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that the absence of fuel will force humanitarian response to stop.
“In three days, UNRWA will run out of fuel, critical for our humanitarian response across the Gaza Strip,” Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, said in a statement.
He added: “Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals and bakeries. Without fuel, aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need. Without fuel, there will be no humanitarian assistance. No fuel will further strangle the children, women and people of Gaza.”
