The EU has accused the terrorist organization Hamas of using hospitals and civilians in the Gaza Strip as ‘human shields’. A statement issued on Sunday on behalf of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called on Israel to exercise “the utmost restraint” to protect the lives of civilians. However, Hamas contradicted Israel’s claims that it had denied fuel for the Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip.
“The EU is deeply concerned about the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said. The EU joins calls for an “immediate” pause in fighting and the “establishment of humanitarian corridors” to provide humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.
“Terrible consequences for citizens”
“The EU condemns Hamas’ use of hospitals and civilians as human shields,” Borrell said. “Civilians must be able to leave the combat zone.” Borrell lamented the serious consequences of the fighting over hospitals in the Gaza Strip and “terrible consequences for civilians and medical staff.” International humanitarian law requires that hospitals, medical care and civilians in hospitals be protected, he stressed.
Hospitals must therefore be immediately supplied with the most urgent medical supplies and patients in need of urgent medical care must be evacuated safely, Borrell demanded. “In this context, we urge Israel to exercise the utmost restraint to ensure the protection of civilians,” the EU foreign policy chief added.
“Horrible conditions” in the largest clinic
The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continued to deteriorate over the weekend. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday spoke of “terrible conditions” at the territory’s largest clinic, Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. There are more than 2,000 people in the clinic, including likely more than 600 patients and about 1,500 displaced persons, the WHO wrote on the X Platform (formerly Twitter), citing the Palestinian Ministry of Health. This meant that patients could no longer receive dialysis. Premature babies were also transferred to operating rooms without incubators.
A Hamas government official said five premature babies and seven critically ill patients died at the Al-Shifa clinic. “We fear that the number of victims will continue to rise until the morning,” Deputy Health Minister Yussef Abu Rish said on Sunday.
Did Hamas refuse fuel?
Israel accuses Hamas of setting up command centers under and near hospitals. Hamas denies this. She also rejected Israel’s accusations that she rejected 300 liters of fuel intended for Al-Shifa Hospital. At the same time, the Islamists criticize that the crowd is not even enough to run the hospital’s generators for more than thirty minutes.
The Israeli army said it dumped 300 liters of fuel outside the hospital entrance on Saturday evening and offered to evacuate newborn babies. Both gestures were blocked by Hamas.
Source: Krone
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