Israel launches another raid at Shifa Hospital

Smoke billows after Israeli bombardment in central Gaza City. Pic/AP

Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands have been sheltering.

People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex early Monday and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people.

"We're trapped inside," said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility for over three months. "They fire at anything moving. …Doctors and ambulances can't move."

The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command center there.

In a separate development, the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, accused Israel of continuing to hinder efforts to deliver aid to Gaza, saying the territory faces an "entirely man-made" famine as "starvation is used as a weapon of war".

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