Babies laid side-by-side for warmth in Gaza

In last 39 days; Over 11,100 civilians died, many injured and missing

The war between Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel and Hamas fighters from Palestine's Gaza has aggravated for over a month. The Israeli Defense Forces have struck 4,300 targets in their attempt to obliterate the Islamic fighters after the 7 October attack.

On Monday Israeli forces reached the gates of Gaza City's main hospital, the primary target in their battle to seize control of the northern half of the Gaza Strip, where medics said patients including newborn babies were dying for lack of fuel.

Israel unleased relentless bombing in the densely populated Gaza Strip in retaliation to the Hamas attack, and cited ‘self-defense’ and the requirement to eliminate any further ‘threat’ from Hamas fighters. The bombardment that has been going on for at least 39 days saw over 11,100 civilians die, many displaced injured, and many more missing.

We are besieged and are inside a circle of death," Dr Ahmed El Mokhallalati told Reuters.

Netanyahu's Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has been targeting Gaza's biggest hospital Al-Shifa alleging that the Hamas has constructed bunkers underneath and have been operating from the healthcare facility. The bombing of Gaza's hospitals has been condemned by world leaders who have pressured Netanyahu to not target civilians.

“The United States does not want to see firefights in hospitals where innocent people, patients receiving medical care, are caught in the crossfire and we’ve had active consultations with the Israeli Defence Forces on this," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News in an interview.

However, the bombing of Al-Shifa remains a political and diplomatic risk for the Netanyahu administration.

Destroying the ability of Hamas to govern Gaza is one of the stated aims of the Israeli all-out offensive on the Palestinian land.

Inside the Al-Shifa hospital compound on 13 November, 650 patients, 500 healthcare workers, and an estimated 2,500 displaced people remain.