New Delhi: An Israeli air strike on Friday, November 3, hit a convoy of ambulances near the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 50, according to reports.
Al Jazeera reports that the convoy was transporting critically wounded patients from the Al-Shifa Hospital to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt when it was struck.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said he was “horrified” by the strike adding that the conflict “must stop”.
“I am horrified by the reported attack in Gaza on an ambulance convoy outside Al Shifa hospital. The images of bodies strewn on the street outside the hospital are harrowing,” Guterres said.
He added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was “horrific” and reiterated his call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages taken by Hamas in its initial attack on October 7.
World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed utter shock at the reports. “We reiterate, patients, health workers, facilities, and ambulances must be protected at all times, always,” Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in on X (formerly Twitter).
The Israeli military admitted that one of its aircraft hit an ambulance but claimed that the Israeli Defence Forces assessed it was “being used by a Hamas unit close to their position in the battle zone”, according to Al Jazeera.
Al-Shifa is the largest hospital in Gaza and currently has an occupancy rate of 164%, according to the WHO. At least 16 hospitals across Gaza are no longer functioning due to damage from bombing and a lack of fuel, according to Al Jazeera.
Since the conflict began on October 7, more than 10,000 Israelis and Gazans have been killed. While the Hamas attack on Israeli resulted in the deaths of 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza have seen at least 9,200 people killed and 23,500 others wounded.
Even as relief and refugee agencies warn of an impending humanitarian disaster in Gaza, which is under a total blockade by Israel, there are no signs of a ceasefire. Calls for a “humanitarian pause” have also been unsuccessful.