We have heard nothing from the Head of the Next Century Foundation in Gaza in the past 24 hours. But we have received these images from Hamza Wael Daadoh, an award-winning journalist and a senior member of the Next Century Foundation in Gaza. He works principally with Al Jazeera Arabic.
A violent belt of fire envelops the Tal Al-Hawa area – University College in Gaza – during the bombing by Israel. Click on the image or click here to view in full on Instagram.
The situation is very difficult and shocking in all its detail, with all the sights we saw, and all the pictures we saw and recorded. The situation was catastrophic, shocking, and terrifying. When we arrived here, we did not expect the matter to be this difficult or the scale and horror we witnessed. When we arrived at the place, we saw the fires still burning. Click on the image or click here to view in full on Instagram.
Aftermath of the Al Ahli Hospital Bombing: The first moments after the bombing of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza. Click on the image or click here to view in full on Instagram.
Aftermath of the Al Ahli Hospital Bombing: Peace be upon you. We return to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in these morning hours to find out what happened to this hospital (after a Tuesday evening bombing). As you can see: Destruction and burning cars. People who were lucky enough to survive came to retrieve what remained of their families’ remains, and some came to inspect some of their belongings in an attempt to find what remained of their luggage. Some people came to try to understand what exactly happened in this place. It was a terrifying, the bloodiest of nights. A night the likes of which people have never seen in their lives. Click on the image or click here to view in full on Instagram.
Aftermath of the Al Ahli Hospital Bombing
The aftermath of the abhorrent bombing of the Al Ahil Hospital on Tuesday night is still being felt today with more deaths being confirmed. Some 471 deaths have thus far been actually confirmed as recorded in this incident, most of whom were women and children according to health officials in Gaza. Victims who survived the bombing had horrific injuries. The Al Ahli Hospital was meant to be a safe place of refuge for those who survived missile attacks in other parts of Gaza, they slept in the garden courtyard and in the upper floors of the hospital building but now it’s a sight of bloodshed and devastation. The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, demanded the immediate protection of civilians and healthcare in the Palestinian territory and strongly condemned the attack on the hospital.
Israel has since denied any involvement in the bombing and has said that initial investigation suggests it was a misfired rocket launched by an Islamic militant group. US President, Joe Biden also reiterated this narrative. Speaking at a Tel Aviv press conference, he said the blast was caused by an ‘errant rocket fired by a terrorist group’. However, there is some skepticism in the air as many are inclined to disbelieve Israel’s government, particularly after Israel has attacked many healthcare facilities in Gaza. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, since the start of the conflict on October 7, there have been over 51 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza with some resulting in casualties.
Protests in the West Bank
As a result of the Al Ahli hospital bombing, protests erupted in the West Bank. Hundreds of protestors marched in Ramallah’s central Manara Square, chanting against President Mahmoud Abbas and some chanting in support of Hamas militant leaders. There has been tension brewing between Palestinians and President Mahmoud Abbas after his forces have been coordinating with Israel on security in the territory. These tensions have boiled over since the bombing of the Al Ahli Hospital and thus protests began. The protests got heated as Palestinian security forces in Ramallah fired tear gas and stun grenades at the protestors who were throwing rocks.
Humanitarian Aid
After Biden’s visit to Israel, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has agreed to allow humanitarian assistance to begin trickling into Gaza from Egypt. Israel had previously stopped Egypt from delivering essential aid. However, Netanyahu has reiterated that only ‘limited quantities’ of humanitarian aid are allowed, and it is only to be food, water, and medicine, and it must reach civilians and not Hamas. Fuel is badly needed and will not be included. There was no date given when the aid would be allowed to come in. Humanitarian aid is urgently needed especially after the hospital bombing as doctors in Gaza City had to perform surgery on floors and often without anaesthesia, in a desperate bid to save wounded victims. While this limited humanitarian aid is set to be allowed into Gaza from Egypt, much more is needed as essential supplies in Gaza are becoming scarce. The US President has himself pledged additional US aid to the people of Gaza and the West Bank, conditional on the fact that it is guaranteed not to reach Hamas. In practical terms, this of course means that the additional US aid will go to the West Bank and not to Gaza.
For yesterday’s report follow this link.
The image used first above is from Hosny Saleh
