Euro-Med Rights Monitor: Al-Shifa Medical Complex witnesses one of the largest massacres in Palestinian history

The Israeli occupation army carried out a massive, shockingly horrific military operation in Al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City over the course of the past two weeks, indiscriminately targeting and attacking Palestinians regardless of their civilian status, professional standing, gender, age, or health condition, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said.

Though the exact number of casualties from the atrocity is still unknown, preliminary reports suggest that over 1,500 Palestinians have been martyred, injured, or are reported missing as a result of the massacre at Al-Shifa, with women and children making up half of the casualties, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement Monday.

The massacre claimed the lives of at least 22 patients who were martyred in their hospital beds during the Israeli siege of the Medical Complex, amid the willful deprivation of their access to food, medical care, and supplies. The occupation army also purposefully prevented relief teams and representatives of international organisations from entering Al-Shifa to carry out humanitarian missions or evacuations, plus purposefully cleared the Complex of all working personnel particularly medical personnel either by summary execution or forced displacement or arrest, Euro-Med Monitor said.

Al-Shifa Medical Complex is currently out of service due to the Israeli occupation army bombing and setting fire to every one of its buildings, including the mortuary and all internal and external courtyards and corridors, it added.

Members of the Israeli army forced more than 25,000 Palestinian civilians to evacuate their homes in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex. These forced evacuations occurred after Israel committed horrendous crimes against local families, including killing, direct targeting, besieging, and starving them, as well as arbitrary arrests and destroying and burning homes and civilian objects. According to initial estimates, the Israeli army demolished and set ablaze over 1,200 housing units in the vicinity of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, the Geneva-based organization said.

Israel is still implementing its policy to forcefully evacuate the people of Gaza City and the surrounding areas, through forced displacement orders, extensive military operations, starvation, siege, and denial of the basic necessities of life, including medical care, Euro-Med Monitor said.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the international community must act swiftly and forcefully to defend Palestinian civilians against the genocide that Israel has been committing in the Gaza Strip for the past six months, an apply genuine pressure on Israel to cease its grave crimes in the region.