Israel's defense minister praises what he calls a "determined and professional" operation in Al-Shifa hospital
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the actions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during a briefing on Monday after they withdrew from Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital.
Gallant expressed his appreciation to the IDF and Shin Bet personnel for their “determined and professional action” inside the medical complex. Describing the 14-day hospital siege as a “precise and deadly operation,” he said that fighters belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad had been taken by surprise with hundreds killed or captured.
“The terrorist base in Shifa has been eliminated,” Gallant said.
On Sunday — before the IDF withdrawal — the Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said 21 patients had died since the siege began on March 18 and dozens of patients were still trapped in the facility.
“107 patients are in an inadequate building, within the hospital compound, lacking needed health support, medical care and supplies,” he said. When Israeli forces surrounded the medical complex on March 18 the Ministry of Health in Gaza said about 30,000 people were sheltering in the area.
No comments: