ISRAELI troops raided Gaza’s al-Shifa hospital, where thousands of wounded civilians, many displaced or in a critical condition, are sheltering, earlier today.

Experts, including at the United Nations, have condemned the attack on hospitals in Gaza as a clear breach of international law.

Hundreds of patients, including newborn babies, have been stranded with dwindling supplies and no electricity.

The hospital has become a symbol of the widespread suffering of Palestinian civilians in the war between Israel and Hamas, which erupted when the latter staged a surprise cross-border attack on southern Israel more than a month ago.

Since the October 7 raid, in which at least 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 taken hostage, nearly 12,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, around two-thirds of whom were women and minors, in what has been widely described as “collective punishment” of Palestinians.

Israel accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields, while Palestinians, human rights groups and an increasing number of observers say that Israel has recklessly endangered civilians.

Speaking from inside the al-Shifa compound, Gaza’s director of hospitals Mohammed Zaqout said angrily that “occupation forces stormed the buildings.” 

The Israeli troops “fired heavy bullets inside the hospital without any clashes, which caused a state of panic and fear among patients,” he added.

The patients, including children, are terrified, said Mr Zaqout, adding: “They are screaming. It’s a very terrifying situation.

“We can do nothing for the patients but pray.”

According to unconfirmed reports, Israeli snipers have also been targeting anyone leaving the hospital.

The Israeli military said it was carrying out a “precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa hospital.”

It claimed that the soldiers were accompanied by medical teams and had brought medical supplies and baby food as well as incubators and other equipment.

Israel alleges, without providing evidence, that Hamas has a massive command centre inside and beneath al-Shifa. Hamas and the hospital’s staff have repeatedly denied the allegations. 

UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths said: “I’m appalled by reports of military raids in al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.

“The protection of newborns, patients, medical staff and all civilians must override all other concerns. Hospitals are not battlegrounds,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Demonstrations demanding an immediate ceasefire have continued worldwide.

In the Philippines, angry protesters tried to break into the US embassy today, while in the United States, hundreds of people closed down the city council building in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday and an emergency protest was held outside the White House in Washington after the Israeli incursion into al-Shifa began.