The Civil Defense in Gaza confirmed the discovery of hundreds of bodies following the withdrawal of the Israeli army early Monday morning from the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings in the western part of the city after a two-week invasion and siege.
The spokesman for the Civil Defense in Gaza, Major Mahmoud Basal, said that there were about 300 martyrs in the Al-Shifa complex and its surroundings after the withdrawal of the occupation forces.
Basal added that the Israeli forces burned sections of the Al-Shifa Hospital and destroyed all the medical equipment and supplies in it.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced the end of its military operation in the complex and claimed that it was carried out without causing damage to civilians, patients, and medical teams.
Al Jazeera correspondent reported that the Israeli army completely withdrew early this morning from inside the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and its surroundings.
The occupation forces headed south to a camp where tanks and bulldozers are stationed in the area between the neighborhoods of Sheikh Ajleen and Tal al-Hawa.
Al Jazeera correspondent quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the withdrawal was sudden and coincided with gunfire and tank shells fired towards residential buildings around the medical complex.
The withdrawal comes after an Israeli attack on the complex and its surroundings for about two weeks, resulting in the martyrdom, injury, and arrest of hundreds of Palestinians.
Charred bodies and destruction
Scenes broadcasted by Al Jazeera showed the spread of charred bodies of martyrs in the streets and roads surrounding the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Medical sources reported finding hundreds of martyr bodies in the complex and the surrounding streets following the withdrawal of the occupation forces.
The sources stated that the occupation forces burned down the buildings of the medical complex, causing it to be completely out of service, confirming that the extent of the damage to the complex and the surrounding buildings is significant.
The Israeli army radio said that the army killed 200 and arrested another 500, detaining about 900 for investigation and evacuating 6,000 during its operation in the medical complex and its surroundings.
Reports have emerged indicating that the Israeli forces carried out execution operations inside the medical complex, while the Israeli army claimed to have killed dozens of militants inside the complex.
During the Israeli attack, some martyrs were retrieved, while many bodies remained scattered on the ground in the vicinity of the complex and residential buildings, whether in the Nasr neighborhood, Unity Street, or in the southern beach and western sands, areas that were besieged by the occupation forces.
Throughout this period, the occupation army obstructed the arrival of relief teams and representatives of international organizations to the area to carry out humanitarian tasks or evacuation operations, leading to a humanitarian and health crisis in the vicinity of the complex.
Patients and Injured
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered to inspect the damage to the buildings of the complex, and some families rushed to evacuate the injured and patients who were trapped inside the hospital.
Palestinian sources confirmed that the extensive damage to the Al-Shifa complex does not allow for the reopening of any of its departments.
Hours before the withdrawal of the occupation forces, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called on Israel to open a humanitarian corridor to the complex and facilitate urgent access to it so that the organization and its partners can evacuate and rescue the patients.
Ghebreyesus pointed out that 21 patients have died since the siege of the Al-Shifa complex began on March 18th last year.
He said that there are 107 patients in an inadequate building inside the complex who lack medical care and necessary supplies, including 4 children and 28 critically ill patients. Some patients have developed wound infections, especially due to the shortage of water for cleaning, and there are no diapers or urine bags.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization added that since Saturday, there has been only one bottle of water left for every 15 people, and infectious diseases have spread due to unhealthy conditions and water shortages.