Hamas has decided suspend hostage negotiations with Israel, in response to the way the Israeli army handled the AlShifa hospital, one of the most important in the Gaza Strip, according to a Palestinian official.
The hospital is under constant bombardment as the army approaches the facility. Due to the attacks, the hospital ran out of fuel and its operations were affected.
Israel accuses Hamas of using the hospital as a cover for a command center, without providing any evidence. Hamas denies the allegations.
Israel offered fuel to the hospital
Also this Sunday (12), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel offered fuel to AlShifa Hospital, but Hamas terrorists refused to accept it.
Netanyahu was asked by NBC News whether Israel’s claim that Hamas has a command post under Gaza’s main hospital is justified in putting the lives of sick people and babies at risk.
“On the contrary, we actually offered last night to provide them with enough fuel to run the hospital, to run the incubators, etc., because we have no fighting with patients or civilians,” Netanyahu said.
The Israeli military said it was ready to evacuate babies from Al Shifa on Sunday, but Palestinian authorities said people inside were still trapped, three newborns were dead and dozens were at risk from a power outage. There is fighting nearby.
Netanyahu was asked whether Israel had a plan to bring fuel to Gaza to supply hospitals. “We just offered the fuel to Shifa Hospital, but they refused,” Netanyahu said.
“Hamas, which is hiding and setting up shop in the hospitals, doesn’t want the fuel for the hospitals… they want to get the fuel that they take from the hospitals to their tunnels, to their war machine.”
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on Netanyahu’s comments.