Gaza official warns of possible Israeli raid on Al Shifa hospital

People stand outside the emergency ward of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. (AFP)
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  • Qidra said Gaza officials had informed the International Committee of the Red Cross about Israel’s warning

GAZA: Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson warned on Wednesday of a potential Israeli raid on the enclave’s Al Shifa hospital complex, saying Israel informed Gaza health officials that its forces would raid the facility.
The Israeli military, asked for comment, said it was looking into the matter.
The Gaza health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qidra, told Al Jazeera that Israel “informed us that it will raid Al Shifa hospital complex in the coming minutes.”
But he added: “The occupation did not specify whether (its forces) would enter the complex. But it said that within a few minutes it would raid the complex. We do not know how it will raid it or what mechanism will be used, nor do we know (Israel’s) intentions with the raid.”
Reuters was not able to independently confirm the situation at Al Shifa.
Israeli forces have surrounded Al Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital, after waging fierce street battles with Hamas fighters they accuse of having a command post under the complex. The US on Tuesday cited intelligence backing Israel’s assertion, but Hamas denies it.