Israel Launches Night Raid at Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital

Israeli occupation forces launched a military operation in the al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City before dawn on Monday.

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Heavy gunfire could be heard in the vicinity of the hospital. The Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper reported that there were fatalities and injuries in the hospital.

The Gaza-based Health Ministry said that the Israeli military attacked the al-Shifa complex, blaming the army for aiming "to continue destroying the health system in northern Gaza."

Health authorities also urged international organizations to "immediately" intervene to protect the hospital and the patients inside it.

Similar to previous military attacks, the Israeli occupation forces, through their spokesperson Daniel Hagari, justified the operation against the health facilities by arguing "the use of the hospital by senior Hamas" militants to carry out attacks against Israel.

According to the Zionist army, Palestinian militants opened fire at the occupation troops from within the hospital and the soldiers responded with live fire.

The Israeli army continues operations even though patients and medical staff remain inside Al-Shifa, the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip.

The Times of Gaza reported that the Zionist army arrested Al-Jazeera correspondent Ismail Al-Ghoul during the raid on Al-Shifa Hospital. "His crew and around 150 other civilians including ER doctors have also been arrested and abducted," it added.