Dozens of Palestinians had to be buried in a mass grave, according to the director of Gaza’s largest hospital. A situation described Tuesday as “horrible” by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 39th day on Tuesday, November 14. The humanitarian situation in Gaza, and particularly at al-Chifa hospital, continues to deteriorate and the healthcare facility is at the heart of international attention since the United States has claimed that Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad group used “a command and control center” from this hospital. Franceinfo looks back at what to remember from the day.
A “horrible” humanitarian situation at al-Chifa hospital
Dozens of Palestinians had to be buried in a mass grave, according to the director of Gaza’s largest hospital, where thousands of civilians remain trapped in Tuesday’s fighting between Israel and Hamas, a situation “horrible”, warns the UN. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “very concerned about the horrible situation and the significant loss of life in several hospitals in Gaza”declared his spokesperson.“In the name of humanity, the Secretary-General calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” added Stéphane Dujarric.
Several thousand people, sick people, staff and civilians displaced by the war are crowding onto the site of the al-Chifa hospital, in the center of Gaza City, sheltering according to Israel the infrastructure of the Islamist movement in a network of tunnels .
Washington accuses Hamas of using Gaza hospitals as operational centers
The United States has accused Hamas, on the basis of its own intelligence, of using hospitals in Gaza for military operations, and in particular that of al-Chifa, around which fighting rages.
Accusations rejected by Hamas. “These statements give the Israeli occupation a green light to carry out further brutal massacres targeting hospitals, with the aim of destroying Gaza’s health system,” reacted the Palestinian Islamist movement in a press release in English.
IDF claims to have taken control of Hamas government buildings in Gaza
The Israeli army announced that it had taken possession of Hamas government buildings in Gaza City. IDF claims control of “Hamas Parliament, government headquarters, Hamas police headquarters and an engineering faculty that was used for the production and development of weapons”.
On social media, images show Israeli soldiers deploying the of Israel on the platform of the head of Parliament as well as soldiers posing in front of a wall with a badge written above “Military Police Headquarters”.
Families of hostages demand immediate action
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas have demanded that the Israeli government “approves a deal tonight to bring home all Gaza hostages”.
These families left Tel Aviv early to march to Jerusalem to maintain pressure on the government. “Our information on the hostages is becoming more and more precise, but we will not release information to the public until we have informed the families.” declared army spokesperson Daniel Hagari.
Seven Palestinians killed in West Bank, hospital director says
Seven Palestinians were killed during an Israeli army operation in the town and camp of Tulkarem in the northern occupied West Bank, the director of the local hospital said. An eighth was killed near Hebron.
More than 190 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Yemen’s Houthis threaten to attack Israeli ships
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea, after already claiming several attacks against Israel. “Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli vessel,” said their leader, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, in a speech on Al-Massira, the Houthi television channel.
“The enemy [Israël] uses camouflage in its movements in the Red Sea, particularly in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. He did not dare to hoist Israeli flags on his ships (…) and turned off the identification devices.” he added. “We will search and verify the ships that belong to him, and we will not hesitate to target them,” threatened the leader of the Iran-backed rebels.