Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Sunday that Israel had offered fuel to Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital, which had suspended its operations due to a lack of fuel. However, Netanyahu claimed that the militants had refused to accept the offer. The Prime Minister made this statement in response to questions from NBC News about whether Israeli allegations of Hamas having a command post under Gaza’s main hospital justified endangering the lives of patients, including sick people and babies.
Netanyahu clarified that Israel had no intention of harming patients or civilians and had actually offered to provide enough fuel to operate the hospital and its incubators. Israel’s military had also expressed readiness to evacuate babies from Al Shifa, but Palestinian officials reported that people inside the hospital were still trapped, with three newborns already dead and dozens more at risk due to a power outage caused by the ongoing fighting in the area.
When asked if Israel had a plan to deliver fuel to Gaza to power hospitals, Netanyahu responded that they had offered fuel to Shifa hospital, but it had been refused. He further accused Hamas of using the hospitals as hiding places and not wanting the fuel for the hospital’s operations. Instead, he claimed that Hamas wanted the fuel to be used for their tunnels and war efforts.
Hamas, on the other hand, denies the Israeli allegations of having command posts under Shifa and other Gaza hospitals. The group has not yet issued a response to Netanyahu’s remarks.
The situation continues to escalate in Gaza, with conflicting claims and reports from both sides. The lack of fuel and power outages in hospitals further exacerbate the already dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
