No one allowed to leave Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital

IDF troops during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip. Pic/AP

Israel on Thursday raided Gaza's al-Shifa hospital for a second day in a row. On Wednesday, Israeli troops had raided the coastal enclave's largest medical facility, starting at 2 am. The Israeli army has said the raid has helped it find evidence to back up its assertion. The Israeli military released video footage showing three duffel bags that it claims were found hidden in an MRI lab, each containing an assault rifle, grenades, Hamas uniforms and flak jackets. The the army showed assault rifles without ammunition clips and a laptop that it said were found.

Two planes carrying over two dozen Palestinian cancer patients, many of them children, arrive in Turkey. Pic/AP

However, more than 24 hours after Israel's raid started, the army has not shown evidence of either Hamas-run tunnels or a military command centre under the hospital. "The occupation forces are still lying… as they brought some weapons, clothes and tools and placed them in the hospital in a scandalous manner," Qatar-based Hamas senior member Ezzat El Rashq said. wThe Israeli military has destroyed the specialised surgeries building in the medical facility. The partitions, walls between the rooms and all the medical equipment inside the building have been completely demolished, according to Al Jazeera. Hundreds of patients, doctors and nurses, and more than 2,000 others sheltering at al-Shifa are still believed to be at the hospital.

Those in South Gaza told to evacuate

Israeli forces dropped leaflets warning Palestinians to flee parts of southern Gaza, residents said Thursday, signaling a possible expansion of operations to areas where hundreds of thousands of people who heeded earlier evacuation orders are crowded into UN-run shelters and family homes. Broadening the offensive to the south - where Israel already carries out daily air raids - threatens to worsen an already severe humanitarian crisis in the besieged territory. Over 1.5 million people have been internally displaced in Gaza.

Police, protesters clash in Washington

Police and protesters clashed outside Democratic National Committee headquarters on Wednesday night during a demonstration for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, the latest reflection of boiling tensions over the bloody conflict. Scores of Democratic representatives and candidates, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were inside the building for a campaign reception when it was interrupted by chanting outside.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever