Israel shells al-Helou hospital in Gaza, blocks access

The head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, Ismail al-Thawabta, said on Sunday that the Israeli army “shelled al-Helou hospital in Gaza City with two tank rounds, making it impossible to reach or leave the facility.”

According to eyewitnesses, Israeli forces are currently surrounding the hospital, located in al-Nasr neighbourhood in western Gaza. This presence is part of a wider ground deployment across several areas of Gaza City, alongside continued shelling and demolition of residential buildings and facilities, in what Palestinians see as efforts to seize control of the city and displace its residents.

Al-Thawabta told Anadolu News Agency that “doctors and patients inside the hospital are living in a state of fear and panic, which has been made worse by the deliberate cutting of internet services to isolate the hospital from the outside world and halt the medical care provided to civilians.”

He stressed that “these practices amount to crimes against humanity and a full war crime, adding to the occupation’s black record.”

Al-Thawabta also said that “since the beginning of the war in October 2023, Israel has destroyed or rendered 38 hospitals out of service, targeted 96 healthcare centres, and destroyed or disabled 197 ambulances.”