Algeria Announces Early Legislative Election

A man wears a protective face mask as he walks on an empty street in Casablanca, Morocco. (Reuters)
A man wears a protective face mask as he walks on an empty street in Casablanca, Morocco. (Reuters)
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Algeria Announces Early Legislative Election

A man wears a protective face mask as he walks on an empty street in Casablanca, Morocco. (Reuters)
A man wears a protective face mask as he walks on an empty street in Casablanca, Morocco. (Reuters)

Algeria will hold early legislative elections after a referendum on a new constitution planned for Nov. 1, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Sunday.

Elected last December, Tebboune has pledged to carry out political and economic reforms to meet demands raised during mass protests that forced the resignation of veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April 2019.

The current parliament was elected in 2017 for five years, with Bouteflika's allies holding an overwhelming majority.

Algerians will vote in November on a new constitution that includes giving the parliament and prime minister a greater role and providing more freedoms.

"We will organize legislative elections after the referendum," Tebboune said on state television, without giving a date.

Mass demonstrations broke out in February last year against Bouteflika's plan to seek a new term in office after 20 years in power, with protesters demanding the departure of the whole ruling elite.

The government banned demonstrations in March this year as part of measures to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.



UNRWA Chief Says Israel Blocks Him from Gaza

 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
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UNRWA Chief Says Israel Blocks Him from Gaza

 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speak to the media, amid the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, in Cairo, Egypt, March 18, 2024. (Reuters)

Israel denied the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) entry to the Gaza Strip on Monday, UNRWA and Egypt said, calling it an unprecedented move at a time of massive need.

Philippe Lazzarini, whose organization has been in crisis since Israel accused 12 of its staff of taking part in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, said he meant to go to the Gaza city of Rafah but was informed: "My entry into Rafah is declined".

Speaking with him at a Cairo news conference, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said: "You were declined by the Israeli government, refused the entry which is an unprecedented move for (a) representative at this high position."

The Israeli prime minister's office and foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UNRWA is by far the largest relief body in Gaza, where the depth of the humanitarian crisis was underlined on Monday when a UN-backed report warned of imminent famine in the north.

"On the day new data is out on famine in #GAZA, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza," Lazzarini wrote on X, adding that his visit was intended to improve humanitarian operations.

"This man-made starvation under our watch is a stain on our collective humanity."

Israel's ground and air offensive has laid waste to the Gaza Strip over the last five months, killing more than 31,000 people, according to health authorities in Hamas-run Gaza.

The offensive was triggered when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel in an attack that killed 1,200 people and resulted in another 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Funding crisis

Israel alleged in January that 12 of UNRWA's 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 attack. The Israeli accusations led 16 countries including the United States to pause $450 million in funding, throwing UNRWA operations into crisis.

UNRWA fired some staff members, saying it acted in order to protect the agency's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance, and an independent internal UN investigation was launched.

Australia is one of several states which subsequently resumed funding. Its foreign minister said last week that Australia had consulted with UNRWA and other donors and was satisfied the agency was not a terrorist organization.

UNRWA has condemned the Oct. 7 attacks, saying the Israeli allegations against the agency - if true - are a betrayal of UN values and of the people UNRWA serves.

UNRWA communications director Juliette Touma told Reuters Lazzarini had visited the Gaza Strip four times during the war, and numerous occasions before that.

"We were ready to leave this morning on an Egyptian plane from Cairo to El Arish," Touma said.

Lazzarini has previously warned of a campaign to end UNRWA operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said UNRWA must be shut down.

In Cairo, the UNRWA head warned of a "race against the clock" to reverse the spread of hunger and avert famine. With political will, Gaza could be "flooded" with food via land crossings, he added.

He also said that more than 150 of UNRWA's facilities in Gaza have been hit, damaged or completely destroyed.

"We also know that a number of staff that have been arrested have gone through very tough investigation, ill-treatment and humiliation," Lazzarini said.


Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Discussed Rafah, Gaza Aid, Says White House

 A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Biden, Israel’s Netanyahu Discussed Rafah, Gaza Aid, Says White House

 A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A girl holds a Ramadan lantern as Palestinians line up to fill containers with water in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

US President Joe Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday and discussed the situation in Rafah and efforts increase aid to Gaza, the White House said.

The call was the first between the two leaders since Feb. 15 and comes amid sharp tensions between Israel and its most steadfast ally over Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza that followed Hamas' deadly Oct. 7 attack inside Israel.

"President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to discuss the latest developments in Israel and Gaza, including the situation in Rafah and efforts to surge humanitarian assistance to Gaza," the White House said.

Separately, Netanyahu said the two men had discussed Israel's commitment to achieve all the targets it had set out for the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all the hostages and ensuring Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel.

This would be done "while providing the necessary humanitarian aid that helps achieve those goals," he said in a statement.

In a speech on Thursday, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, a longtime supporter of Israel and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, called for new elections in Israel and said Netanyahu was an obstacle to peace.

Biden praised the speech the following day and said that Schumer had echoed the concerns of many Americans.

Netanyahu responded harshly on Sunday, telling CNN in an interview that Schumer's speech was "totally inappropriate".

Netanyahu reaffirmed to a cabinet meeting on Sunday that Israeli forces would thrust into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid further civilian casualties.


US Must Make Clear to Israel Consequences of Rafah Operation, Says Egypt FM 

Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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US Must Make Clear to Israel Consequences of Rafah Operation, Says Egypt FM 

Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Children play in the rubble of Al-Faruq Mosque, that was destroyed during Israeli bombardment, in Rafah on the southern Gaza Strip on March 17, 2024, amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The United States must make clear to Israel what the consequences of a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip would be, as the US has voiced opposition to such a move, Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday.

"It is not enough for rhetoric, it is not enough to state opposition, it is also important to indicate what if that position is circumvented, what if that position is not respected," Shoukry said at a news briefing with United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini in Cairo.

He also warned that the humanitarian consequences and the loss of lives that would result in the situation would be "catastrophic".


Famine Imminent in Northern Gaza, Says UN-Backed Report

Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians queue for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking "iftar" meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians queue for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking "iftar" meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Famine Imminent in Northern Gaza, Says UN-Backed Report

Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians queue for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking "iftar" meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Boys sit with empty pots as displaced Palestinians queue for meals provided by a charity organization ahead of the fast-breaking "iftar" meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Famine is imminent and likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the enclave by July, a UN-backed report said on Monday, after more than five months of war which have shattered the Palestinian territory and cut off supplies.

Malnutrition and food insecurity have probably exceeded famine levels in Gaza's north, and hunger-linked death rates were likely to do so soon, the report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said.

The assessment - a scale used by UN agencies, regional bodies and aid groups that sets the global standard on measuring food crises - comes amid global pressure on Israel to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave of 2.3 million people.

Some 300,000 have been cut off by fighting in the north.

The European Union accused Israel on Monday of provoking famine and using starvation as a weapon of war - claims that Israel rejects, saying it does not target civilians and is only interested in eliminating the Hamas movement.

The IPC uses a complex set of technical criteria. Its most extreme warning is Phase 5, which has two levels, catastrophe and famine.

Famine is assessed as at least 20% of the population suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease.

In northern Gaza, "the upward trend in non-trauma mortality is also expected to accelerate, resulting in all famine thresholds likely to be passed imminently," the IPC said.

"The window is shutting, and it is shutting very, very fast," Arif Husain, chief economist of the World Food Program, told Reuters.

The study said the number of people projected to experience "catastrophic hunger" across the besieged enclave between now and mid-July had nearly doubled to more than 1.1 million, or about half the population, since the IPC last reported in December, when there was already record hunger.

Under a worst case scenario, central and southern Gaza also face a risk of famine by July, the IPC said.

Skipping meals

Famine has been declared just twice in the past 13 years: in parts of Somalia in 2011 and in parts of South Sudan in 2017.

Some humanitarians voice frustration with the criteria, since assessing famine thresholds can be particularly difficult in a war zone due to a lack of access and reliable data.

Gaza health authorities have reported children dying of malnutrition or dehydration, but UN officials say the health system has basically collapsed and the situation is hard to monitor.

"It's impossible to find the data to meet their criteria in northern Gaza as people aren't dying in hospital so it's unrecorded," said one aid worker who asked not to be named.

The IPC said that because of a lack of aid, almost all households were skipping meals every day and adults were reducing their meals so children could eat.

In northern Gaza, in nearly two thirds of households, people went entire days and nights without eating at least 10 times in the last 30 days, it added. In southern areas, that applied to one third of the households.

The IPC analysis said famine could still be avoided if Israel and Hamas stop fighting and aid organizations gain increased access.

Israel has said it plans to assault Rafah, the southern Gaza city bordering Egypt, to root out Hamas fighters, but it is also involved in mediation talks about a possible truce.

"We must act and we must act now," said Husain. "When famine happens, people have already starved, children are already wasted, and many, many, many lives are already lost." 


EU's Borrell: Israel is Provoking Famine in Gaza

FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
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EU's Borrell: Israel is Provoking Famine in Gaza

FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell speaks during a press conference presenting plans to boost the European Union's arms industry in Brussels, Belgium March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Israel is provoking famine in Gaza and using starvation as a weapon of war, the EU's foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell said on Monday.

"In Gaza we are no longer on the brink of famine, we are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people," Borrell said at the opening of a conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza in Brussels.

"This is unacceptable. Starvation is used as a weapon of war. Israel is provoking famine."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would keep on with the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, where aid agencies say famine is looming, while ceasefire talks were set to resume.
Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting that Israel would push into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave after more than five months of war, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid civilian casualties.

Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz in a response on Monday urged Borrell to "stop attacking Israel and recognize our right to self-defense against Hamas' crimes.”

Katz in a post on X said Israel allowed "extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help,” but that help was "violently disturbed" by Hamas militants with "collaboration" by the UN's aid agency UNRWA. 
 


Egyptian-European Agreement to Elevate Ties to Level of Strategic Partnership

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian, Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian, Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president. (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egyptian-European Agreement to Elevate Ties to Level of Strategic Partnership

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian, Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president. (Egyptian Presidency)
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian, Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president. (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and the European Union said Sunday they have mutually agreed to elevate their relationship to the level of a strategic and comprehensive partnership.

Accordingly, Egypt and the EU decided to formulate and sign an inclusive document on the comprehensive and “strategic partnership,” during the first quarter of 2024.

The agreement was unveiled as a delegation of EU leaders visited Cairo. It is designed to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade and security, while delivering grants, loans and other funding over the next three years to support Egypt's economy.

A proposed funding includes 5 billion euros in concessional loans and 1.8 billion euros of investments, according to a summary published by the EU. Another 600 million euros would be provided in grants, including 200 million euros for managing migration.

The EU delegation included EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Italian, Greek, Austrian and Belgian prime ministers, and the Cypriot president.

“Egypt has always accorded special importance to the distinguished relations it shares with the European Union and its countries, stemming from our firm belief in the centrality of the partnership with the European Union to achieve the common political, economic, and security interests of both sides, and therefore supports the achievement of security, peace, and stability in the region,” said Sisi in his opening statement in the meeting with the EU leaders.

As for Von der Leyen, she said that "today we elevate the relationship between the EU and Egypt to a strategic and comprehensive partnership and we agree on a package ranging from trade and investment to low carbon energy, managing migration, and education, culture and youth".


Algeria Condemns Morocco’s Attempt to Confiscate its Embassy Properties in Rabat

 The Algerian Foreign Ministry (APS)
 The Algerian Foreign Ministry (APS)
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Algeria Condemns Morocco’s Attempt to Confiscate its Embassy Properties in Rabat

 The Algerian Foreign Ministry (APS)
 The Algerian Foreign Ministry (APS)

Algeria on Sunday condemned a Moroccan plan to confiscate its embassy’s properties in Rabat, describing the move as “a new phase of escalation” from its North African neighbor.
In a statement, the Algerian Foreign Ministry said the plan is also a “flagrant violation” that is inconsistent with civilized international practices.
“This project represents a flagrant violation of the obligations that are enshrined in both international law and custom, which necessitates the protection of diplomatic missions regardless of the circumstances,” the Ministry said.
“Algeria condemns in the strongest terms the comprehensive robbery operation and strongly denounces its illegitimacy and incompatibility with the duties and obligations that any member state of the international community should bear,” it added.
According to the Ministry, Algeria plans to utilize “all legal means available” to defend its interests, including recourse to the United Nations.
Morocco had issued a decree last week in the country’s Official Gazette ordering the expropriation of the Algerian Embassy’s buildings in Rabat, part of a plan to expand the administrative buildings of its Foreign Ministry.
The decree says the expansion project falls under a law which gives the government power to confiscate infrastructure for public sector projects.
The expropriation decision includes three properties belonging to Algeria.


Abbas: Our Priority is to Stop Israeli Military Assault on Rafah

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. dpa
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. dpa
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Abbas: Our Priority is to Stop Israeli Military Assault on Rafah

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. dpa
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. dpa

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinian leadership’s priority was to stop a potential Israeli military push into the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip.

Abbas made the comment on Sunday during a meeting with visiting Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira in Ramallah.

About 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Abbas told Vieira.

“Our priority is to stop an assault by Israeli occupation forces on Rafah,” he said, warning that a military operation there would cause a “humanitarian disaster.”

Abbas urged the international community to exert bigger efforts to prevent such an assault, force Israel to immediately stop its aggression on the Palestinian territory, and allow humanitarian aid to enter the enclave.

Despite his call, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would keep on with the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting that Israel would push into Rafah, the last relatively safe place in the tiny, crowded Gaza enclave after more than five months of war, despite international pressure for Israel to avoid civilian casualties.

"We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen," he said, without clarifying if he meant the assault would last for weeks or would begin in weeks.


Egypt Condemns Israel’s Ongoing Assaults Against Civilians in Gaza

Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers prepare meals for refugees I Gaza. Photo: Red Crescent
Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers prepare meals for refugees I Gaza. Photo: Red Crescent
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Egypt Condemns Israel’s Ongoing Assaults Against Civilians in Gaza

Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers prepare meals for refugees I Gaza. Photo: Red Crescent
Egyptian Red Crescent volunteers prepare meals for refugees I Gaza. Photo: Red Crescent

Egypt has condemned Israel's ongoing assaults against defenseless Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement issued Sunday, the Foreign Ministry called on Israel to stop its policies “of collective punishment against the residents of the Gaza Strip, including siege, starvation, indiscriminate targeting of civilians, and the destruction of infrastructure,” which represent a violation of the provisions of international law and international humanitarian law.

The Ministry also called on Israel to “shoulder its responsibilities as the occupying power, refrain from targeting civilians, and provide urgent aid to the residents of the Gaza Strip.”

Concerning the Israeli plans to launch a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah near the Egyptian border, the Ministry renewed its warning against the dangers of carrying out any military operations in the city, where Palestinian civilians have take refuge as the last safe haven inside Gaza.

“Egypt considers such action, despite the warnings and international rejection, as a disregard for the lives of innocent civilians and a serious violation of international law and humanitarian law,” stated the Ministry.

It also renewed its call to influential international parties and the United Nations Security Council to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities by demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The Foreign Ministry statement then called on these parties to work on preventing the scenario of forcibly displacing Palestinians from Gaza, putting an end to continuous Israeli violations against civilians, and urgently delivering humanitarian aid in all possible ways to the Palestinian enclave.

In a related development, a delegation from the World Health Organization, led by Regional Director of the WHO Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Hanan Balkhy, visited Arish city in north Sinai, the humanitarian services center of the Egyptian Red Crescent and WHO in the Al-Sabil neighborhood, in addition to the Rafah border crossing.

Secretary General of North Sinai Governorate Osama el-Ghandour met with the delegation and outlined Egypt’s efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip along with receiving the Palestinians patients and injured for treatment at Egyptian hospitals.

The Egyptian official news agency, MENA, said Balkhy lauded Egypt’s efforts in delivering humanitarian aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.

“The WHO is committed to providing all the necessary aid and support to the Palestinians in the enclave,” Balkhy added.


Israeli Forces Kill 20 Gunmen in Raid at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital, Army Says

Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City November 12, 2023. Ahmed El Mokhallalati/via REUTERS
Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City November 12, 2023. Ahmed El Mokhallalati/via REUTERS
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Israeli Forces Kill 20 Gunmen in Raid at Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital, Army Says

Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City November 12, 2023. Ahmed El Mokhallalati/via REUTERS
Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City November 12, 2023. Ahmed El Mokhallalati/via REUTERS

Israeli troops raided the compound of Gaza's Al Shifa Hospital early on Monday, saying they killed 20 gunmen, in an operation Palestinian health authorities said caused multiple casualties and set off a fierce fire in one of the buildings.

The Israeli military said soldiers and special forces had conducted a "precise operation" based on intelligence that the hospital was being used by senior Hamas leaders, and were fired upon when they entered the compound.

"Twenty terrorists have been eliminated at the Shifa hospital thus far in various engagements, and dozens of apprehended suspects are currently in questioning," it said in a statement.

Al Shifa, the Gaza Strip's biggest hospital before the war, is now one of the only healthcare facilities that is even partially operational in the north of the territory, and is also housing hundreds of displaced civilians.

"Suddenly, we started to hear sounds of explosions, several bombings, and soon tanks started to roll, they came from the western road and headed toward Al Shifa, then sounds of gunfire and explosions increased," Mohammad Ali, 32, a father of two, who lives around one kilometer from the hospital, told Reuters via a chat app.

"We don't know what is happening, but it looked as if it was a re-invasion of the Gaza City," he added, saying that the military activities began at around 1:00 a.m. (2300 GMT Sunday).

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said a fire broke out at the entrance of the hospital complex, causing cases of suffocation among displaced women and children sheltering in the hospital. It said communication had been cut off, with people trapped inside the surgery and emergency units of one of the buildings.

"There are casualties, including deaths and injuries, and it's impossible to rescue anyone due to the intensity of the fire and targeting of anyone approaching the windows," the ministry said.

The Israeli army dropped new leaflets around the hospital in Gaza City.

"To all those who exist or are displaced in Rimal and the displaced in Al Shifa and its vicinity: you are in a dangerous combat zone. The IDF is operating hard in its residential areas to destroy terror infrastructure," said the statement, which ordered the people to take the coastal road towards Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

The military issued footage of the overnight operation showing soldiers in the hospital compound engaged in gunfights. Reuters could not independently verify the video.

Footage circulated on social media appeared to show an Israeli tank blocking the main gate of Al Shifa.

The military said troops had been instructed on the importance of operating cautiously as well as on measures to be taken to avoid harm to patients, civilians, medical staff and medical equipment, and said patients were not required to evacuate.

Not far from Al Shifa, Israeli army forces raided a school where displaced families were sheltering, and detained several men there, residents and Hamas media said. Residents reported tanks were also operating on the edge of the Beach refugee camp and said tanks fired shells at some buildings nearby.

Hamas said in a statement the Israeli military had committed a new crime by directly targeting the hospital buildings without caring about patients, medical staff or displaced people in it.

Israel came under fierce criticism last year when troops first raided the hospital, where they uncovered tunnels they said were used as command and control centers by Hamas. Hamas and medical staff deny the hospital has been used for military purposes or to shelter fighters.