Operation Al-Aqsa Flood “Taufan” Daily Report (12)

The Israeli occupation’s massacre at Baptist hospital

Dr. Ashraf al-Qedra, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, shared harrowing information about the unfathomable massacre at Baptist Hospital, committed by the Zionist occupation. The brutality witnessed at this hospital is incomprehensible and cannot be put into words. He revealed that numerous victims were brought to the hospital, their conditions so severe that medical teams were struggling to piece together dismembered bodies. Tragically, a significant portion of the victims are innocent children and women, their features distorted by the sheer severity of the injuries they sustained. The extent of the casualties and the severity of injuries have overwhelmed medical professionals and the available ambulances. Physicians have been forced to conduct surgeries on the floor and in hallways, some without proper anaesthesia, as they grapple with the influx of patients. As the medical staff grapples with a surge in patients, a considerable number await surgeries, while others fight for their lives in intensive care units. The remaining medical resources are dwindling fast, and the situation is rapidly approaching a critical point where essential supplies will be entirely exhausted.

In a statement by Ismail Haniyeh, the Head of the Political Bureau of Hamas, he addressed the recent massacre at Baptist Hospital in Gaza. Haniyeh emphasized that this horrific event serves as a stark reminder of the enemy’s brutality and represents a clear testament to the resounding defeat of the occupying forces. The Baptist massacre, he noted, joins a grim series of massacres committed by the occupation since its initial presence in Palestine. Haniyeh illustrated that the enemy displays a lack of respect for values, laws, and principles, as they have dared to violate the sanctities of Allah and transgressed His boundaries on the land, within holy sites, and in the lives of the Palestinian people and the Ummah.

Highlighting the enduring spirit of resistance, Haniyeh declared that it would persist until the occupiers departed from Palestinian soil and sacred places. He firmly dismissed any illusion the enemy might hold, suggesting that its massacres could conceal its resounding defeat or coerce the Palestinian people into submission. Haniyeh issued a call to action, urging the Palestinian people in the West Bank, al-Quds, and within 48 Occupied territories to take to the streets and vehemently denounce the Israeli aggression. Furthermore, he extended an impassioned appeal to the Arab and Islamic Ummah, urging them to unite in condemnation of this monstrous massacre.

Protests have erupted throughout the region in response to Israel’s bombing of a hospital in Gaza on Tuesday night, and they have continued into Wednesday. Demonstrations of significant scale were reported in Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco, Yemen, and Turkey. Protesters gathered outside Israeli missions and embassies in Turkey and Jordan, with some attempting to storm the Israeli embassy. In the occupied West Bank, a general strike and three days of mourning were declared, leading to widespread protests and clashes with Palestinian Authority Security Forces. Calls for political change and government opposition were voiced in the demonstrations.

Ashraf al-Qedra, the Gaza Ministry of Health Spokesperson, addressed the severe consequences of the ongoing 12-day Israeli aggression in a press conference.

• The successive massacres committed by the Israeli occupation constitute ethnic cleansing and a severe threat to the Palestinian existence.
• The targeting of hospitals and the commission of an indescribable massacre within Baptist Hospital premises pose a grave danger to the healthcare system.
• The casualty toll of the massacre committed by the occupation within Baptist Hospital has reached 471 martyrs, with 28 in critical condition, in addition to 314 injuries of varying severity.
• The total casualties from the Israeli aggression for the twelfth consecutive day stand at 3,478 martyrs and 12,065 with various injuries.
• Seventy per cent of the victims of the Israeli aggression are children, women, and the elderly.
• The massacres perpetrated by the Israeli occupation against families have affected 433 families, with 2,421 martyrs among them, and hundreds are still buried under the rubble.
• We have received around 1,300 reports of missing individuals beneath the rubble, including 600 children.
• It is anticipated that there are survivors among the missing beneath the rubble but accessing them is extremely challenging due to continuous targeting and limited resources.
• As hospitals are on the brink of an actual collapse, the coming hours are critical for the future of providing healthcare services to patients and the wounded.