According to broadcasters, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sealed off Al-Shifa hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, a claim reported by Al Arabiya.
The report stated, “The Israeli army surrounded Al-Shifa Hospital from both sides.”
On November 11, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, citing unnamed sources, reported that Hamas fighters halted advances by Israeli troops near the area of Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City.
The crisis in the Middle East intensified after thousands of Hamas militants crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, a day marked by Hamas’s declaration of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was at war.
Israel’s objective in its campaign in response to Operation Iron Sword was to repel the attack, secure the release of more than 200 hostages, including foreigners, and dismantle Hamas. To pursue this aim, Israel launched extensive rocket strikes on the Gaza Strip from the outset of the operation. Concurrently, the Israeli National Security Council decided to halt the flow of water, food, goods, electricity, and fuel into the territory. Humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza began moving through the Rafah crossing only after October 20, and officials admitted that the volume remained insufficient.
By October 27, Israel announced the expansion of the ground operation in Gaza. Exact timings of the operation’s start remained unclear, but prior to the offensive, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians evacuated their homes, seeking shelter in southern areas. By November 5, as part of the ground offensive, IDF forces had surrounded Gaza City, with supplies cut off, while pockets in central Gaza continued fighting.
Recent reporting from Russia referenced speculation about a possible end date for Israel’s war with Hamas, highlighting the fluid and evolving nature of the conflict and the international interest in its resolution.
Attribution: This summary consolidates reports from multiple outlets, including Al Arabiya and Tasnim News, and reflects ongoing developments as reported by these and other outlets (Cited: Al Arabiya; Tasnim News Agency).