Reports from the Qatar-based television channel Al Jazeera claim that an intense artillery bombardment was carried out by Israeli forces on a hospital in Gaza that is serving Indonesian patients and staff. The channel described scenes in which people inside the hospital could not evacuate, and several patients along with a medical worker sustained injuries as the clashes unfolded around the building. Al Jazeera also asserted that the Israeli military was firing at individuals attempting to leave the facility.
The report touches on efforts to evacuate personnel and patients from Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza, with authorities reportedly considering protective moves for those inside the compound amid ongoing hostilities.
The broader Middle East crisis intensified after thousands of Hamas militants breached Israel from the Gaza Strip on October 7, an assault linked to Hamas declaring a campaign called Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was at war.
The Israeli government outlined goals tied to its campaign, including countering the attack, seeking to secure the release of more than 200 hostages including foreign nationals, and dismantling Hamas. To pursue these objectives, Israel launched large-scale rocket strikes against the Gaza Strip from the outset of the operation. Concurrently, the Israeli National Security Council announced a plan to halt supplies of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel to the territory. Humanitarian aid deliveries into Gaza began through the Rafah crossing only after October 20, and officials acknowledged that the aid volume remained insufficient.
On October 27, Israel disclosed an expansion of the ground operation in Gaza. Exact timings of the ground push remained unclear, but prior to the operation, large numbers of Palestinians had fled their homes, seeking shelter in safer areas and the southern regions. By November 5, as the ground operation progressed, Israeli forces had surrounded Gaza City and cut off many corridors of supply, yet fighting persisted in central areas of the territory.
Earlier reports indicated that Jordan’s West Bank would assume responsibility for aspects of governance among far-right Jewish Orthodox factions, reflecting the region’s shifting political dynamics during the crisis.