The director of Al-Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip denied Israeli accusations that the hospital refused to obtain fuel supplies under pressure from Hamas, and the director, Muhammad Abu Salamiya, described these accusations as “ lies and slander.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Hamas, which rules Gaza, prevented the hospital from using 300 liters of fuel that Israeli soldiers placed in containers next to the hospital on Saturday evening.
Abu Salmiya did not deny reports about the containers, but said the quantity would not be enough to run the hospital’s generators “for fifteen minutes.” He also added that his team was afraid of being shot if they left the hospital to get the containers. The hospital director added that if Israel really wanted to provide fuel, it could have done so in collaboration with the Red Cross or any other international organization.
Israeli army spokesman Richard Hecht said the Israeli unit for the coordination of government activities in the territories, responsible for communications with the Palestinians, spoke to the hospital before unloading the containers. He said: “They haven’t taken the fuel yet and Hamas may have prevented them from doing so.”
Israel accuses Hamas of abusing medical facilities in the Gaza Strip for military purposes, which the movement denies. The World Health Organization says conditions in the hospital are catastrophic and that it is almost impossible to provide medical care due to fighting nearby and a lack of fuel.
The hospital, which includes 700 beds, is the most important clinical complex in the Strip. Its director said dozens of children were in critical condition and could die at any moment.