GAZA CITY: The director of Al-Shifa hospital was marshalling the facility’s response to Israel’s assault when two victims killed in a strike were delivered to the ward: his brother and his sister-in-law.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya described being shocked and devastated to see the bodies of his relatives while working in the emergency department of Gaza’s main hospital.
“Anything is possible now, as you receive your dearest ones as martyrs or wounded,“ he told AFP, adding that the occupation’s crimes continue and the number of martyrs keeps rising.
The Gaza civil defence agency reported at least 87 people killed by Israeli strikes on Saturday, with 70 fatalities occurring in Gaza City alone.
Eleven people died when warplanes struck the Dughmush family in the city’s Al-Sabra neighbourhood according to rescue forces operating under Hamas authority.
Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving 34 bodies from Gaza City while the Baptist hospital reported 28 casualties from the bombardment.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the overall toll or reports about the hospital director’s relatives.
Israel stated it was continuing to expand operations in Gaza City with troops dismantling numerous terror infrastructure sites and eliminating several Hamas terrorists.
An AFP journalist witnessed ambulances pulling into the hospital compound early Saturday bringing more bodies of people killed in Israel’s bombardment.
Medics unloaded four bodies wrapped in white shrouds beneath a tree as another ambulance arrived with casualties including a young boy.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled the city since Israel launched its offensive but many remain trapped without resources to leave.
“Death is more merciful,“ said 38-year-old Mohammed Nassar of Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa area while watching neighbours evacuate with their belongings.
Nassar explained he lacked both strength and money to evacuate, leaving him trapped in Gaza City with his wife and three daughters.
“The occupation wants to forcibly displace everyone so it can destroy Gaza City and turn it into another Beit Hanoun or Rafah,“ he said, referencing other Gaza areas destroyed during nearly two years of war.
Israel has pummelled Gaza City with air strikes and tank fire in its bid to seize what it describes as one of Hamas’s last strongholds.
Foreign governments have urged Israel to abandon its plans for the sake of civilian residents where the United Nations has already declared a famine.
The military launched its ground assault on Tuesday and has told residents to head south despite many Palestinians finding the journey prohibitively expensive.
Evacuation costs have soared with truck owners charging between $1,500 and $2,000 for the approximately 30-kilometre journey south according to those who left.
The civil defence agency reported 450,000 Palestinians had fled Gaza City while the military put the number at approximately 480,000.
The United Nations estimated about one million people were living in Gaza City and its surroundings at the end of August.
The military has urged Palestinians to relocate to a humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi on the coast where it promises aid and medical care.
Israel first declared Al-Mawasi a safe zone early in the war but has carried out repeated strikes on it since, claiming to target Hamas.
Raeda al-Amareen said she was awakened before dawn by the sound of explosions but cannot afford to evacuate.
“We don’t even have 10 shekels to buy bread,“ she told AFP, adding they would stay and either die or hope someone finds a solution for them. – AFP
