For two harrowing weeks, Israeli forces surrounded and besieged the al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza, a location where thousands of Palestinians had sought shelter and medical treatment. Under relentless bombardment, Israeli forces carried out an assault that left the world horrified by its brutality.
As Israeli forces finally withdrew on Monday, the scale of the devastation came to light. Over four hundred bodies were uncovered within the hospital grounds, with half of them identified as women and children. Hundreds more were injured, many with severe and life-altering injuries, while dozens remain missing.
The al-Shifa Hospital, once Gaza’s largest medical facility, now lies in ruins. The Israeli military obliterated every part of the compound, including its mortuary and open courtyards, transforming the grounds into a graveyard of shattered lives. Gaza media office director Ismail al-Thawabta captured the despair of the residents, stating, “They bulldozed everything, burying people beneath rubble and transforming the hospital into a mass grave.”
In the aftermath, the hospital compound resembled a grotesque scene of horror. Bodies, mutilated beyond recognition, lay scattered across the hospital’s premises. Medical staff, tied up and executed, were among the dead. Debris covered severed limbs and remains of children who had been buried under the rubble, making identification difficult for grieving families.
Unfathomable Atrocities Unfolded at Al-Shifa
Within the hospital, patients died in their beds, their lives extinguished not only by bombings but also by Israel’s blockade of essential supplies. The World Health Organization (WHO) director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated on Sunday, “Children, critical patients, all deprived of basic care. No diapers, no bags for urine, no clean water for wounds.” Many patients suffered dehydration, with just a single bottle of water left for every fifteen people.
Throughout the siege, Israeli forces prevented relief workers and international observers from entering al-Shifa, blocking efforts to deliver aid or evacuate civilians. Medical staff who survived the bombing described an atmosphere of terror, with some personnel killed, others tortured or detained, and the rest facing a crippling shortage of essential supplies, including food and water. Eyewitnesses recounted acts of execution targeting not only civilians but also doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel.
Over two dozen neighborhoods surrounding al-Shifa were forcibly evacuated as Israeli forces destroyed homes. An estimated 25,000 civilians fled, while approximately 1,200 houses were razed by Israeli bulldozers, with families trapped inside.
The Assault on Gaza’s Health Infrastructure
Al-Shifa Hospital was Gaza’s primary medical center, a sprawling compound housing specialized facilities like the Surgery Hospital, Internal Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology units. Now, Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure has been decimated, as al-Shifa lies in ruins, with its capacity to serve the community completely destroyed.
Israeli officials hailed the assault on al-Shifa as a strategic success, claiming that 200 Hamas fighters were killed within the hospital. However, no evidence has substantiated this claim, and no proof has been presented to support Israel’s justification of its actions. Israeli politicians have not concealed their intentions, with some openly advocating for violence against Palestinians. One member of the Knesset chillingly remarked, “Ramadan is the perfect time to weaken them; they are exhausted.”
The consequences have been catastrophic. Over 33,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, mostly civilians and children, and more than two million people have been displaced. Gaza has been reduced to rubble, deprived of food, medicine, and essential supplies needed to sustain life.
Even as calls for a ceasefire echo globally, Israel has continued its campaign, recently bombing a humanitarian aid convoy from World Central Kitchen, killing seven aid workers. This week’s continued attacks on Gaza come as the Biden administration supplies Israel with military aid, authorizing an $18 billion arms package, which includes advanced fighter jets and two-thousand-pound bombs.
The U.S. Role in the Gaza Crisis
Despite international outcry, the Biden administration has been unrelenting in its support for Israel. Since the United Nations passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire, the U.S. has blocked multiple Security Council initiatives to enforce it, instead approving weapons shipments that allow Israel to maintain its campaign in Gaza. Meanwhile, the United States continues to withhold funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), further punishing the Palestinian people.
In a recent statement, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned President Biden’s role in facilitating what they called “mass slaughter” at al-Shifa.
Biden’s administration remains undeterred, allowing the cycle of violence to continue in Gaza as Israel pursues its aggressive strategies, unimpeded by international law or humanitarian norms.