A hospital in Gaza has rejected an Israeli offer to provide fuel to allow its generators to keep running.
The Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, which is believed to sit on top of Hamas's HQ, is currently the site of a fierce battle between the IDF and Hamas militants as the Israeli ground offensive enters its second week.
According to the New York Times, Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra, a spokesman for the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry confirmed Israeli reports that an offer of hundreds of litres of fuel was made to hospital staff but said it was rejected as“Taking this fuel would give Israel credit for allowing fuel into Gaza.”
On Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told American news channel NBC that Israel was offering fuel to the Al Shifa hospital because "every dead baby is a tragedy" and that “Hamas prevented the hospital from receiving the fuel.”
In a news conference yesterday, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari circulated video that showed fuel being left about 1000ft from the hospital's main entrance.
Last night, the IDF coordinated the transfer of fuel for urgent medical use to the Shifa Hospital.
— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) November 12, 2023
Early in the morning, IDF troops arrived at the entrance of the hospital and placed 300 liters of fuel for urgent medical purposes >> pic.twitter.com/YfICAI8Ftw
Earlier today, the EU criticised Hamas's use of human shields in Gaza, as fighting around the hospital intensified.
All 27 EU member states signed a motion acknowledging Hamas's use of civilian areas to hide their fighters and urged Hamas to agree to a "Immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. It is crucial that the International Committee of the Red Cross is granted access to the hostages.”
As fighting in Gaza continued on Monday, the IDF also said that Israeli forces killed 21 terrorists after a squad embedded with civilians and fired rocket-propelled grenades and an anti-tank missile at them from the entrance to Al-Quds Hospital, a smaller facility than Al-Shifa, also in Gaza City.
For all the latest from Israel, click here to see all our coverage.
