Gaza sinks into darkness as Al Shifa hospital faces another brutal night. The scene feels like autumn has taken hold, with repeated bombings targeting the largest medical center in the Strip. The sheltering patients and staff show once again that the fighting persists with no end in sight. The Gaza Ministry of Health reported deaths among those in intensive care due to a power outage, a detail corroborated by Palestinian media. This Sunday, Hamas halted negotiations as more hostages were reported, raising the tally to 240. The violence also deepens in Jenin, in the northern West Bank, where residents condemn Israeli military offensives that have turned the city into a third front alongside Gaza and Lebanon.
After a period of relative pause, Israel pressed the Gaza Ministry of Health to evacuate injured patients from Al Shifa hospital. An Al Jazeera interview with the health ministry spokesman Ashraf al Qudra made clear that evacuation is not feasible when electricity is out. In several instances, hospital life-support systems were unavailable, and more children died as evacuation to the streets became a dangerous option. On Saturday, two premature babies died, and by Sunday all patients in the intensive care unit reportedly perished due to fuel shortages and the collapse of hospital infrastructure. About 30 newborns depend on incubators that have ceased functioning under watchful eyes. The Israeli Army floated the idea of evacuation, but military spokesman Lt. Richard Hecht indicated plans were still developing.
Al Qudra stressed that it is impossible for the complex to relocate patients to hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip where the wounded are numerous. The ministry warned that generators would run out of fuel in less than two days, leaving the northern enclave with dwindling power. Large numbers of people continued to flee the northern regions, contributing to a mass displacement totaling around 1.7 million people. Previously, approximately 2.3 million residents lived in Gaza. The departure of evacuees often came at a brutal cost; some deaths occurred during flights, while others faced harrowing journeys on foot among bodies left behind. A Gaza health official described the scene with stark imagery, noting that street dogs were reportedly scavenging the bodies of martyrs in sight of onlookers, a tragedy that underscores the human toll. The undersecretary of the Gaza health ministry attributed the circumstances to the broader crisis and the inability to intervene directly, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Third front in Jenin
In the occupied West Bank, the situation deteriorates with each passing day. The Palestine Liberation Organization condemned the joint Israeli blockade that restricts movement across Palestinian towns, with Jerusalem effectively isolated and transformed into a military zone. The West Bank’s sole route in and out is tightly controlled, leaving residents anxious about access to the outside world. Kamal Abu al-Rub, the interim governor of Jenin, warned that the city could become a third front after consecutive days of intense raids, killings, and clashes that have wounded many and disrupted life for thousands.
Kamal Abu al-Rub told Al Jazeera that the sequence of raids on Jenin city, its refugee camp, and surrounding villages, along with attacks on civilians and medical responders, road closures, and assaults on mosques, signals a thirst for retaliation. He voiced fears about a possible major operation in the near future, particularly as global attention remains focused on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Since October 7, violence has claimed at least 186 lives in the occupied territories, a number that underscores the mounting human cost of the ongoing conflict.
Within the Gaza Strip, health officials admitted they could not publish updated casualty figures because of the attacks on hospitals. The latest estimates place fatalities at around 11,000, with approximately 200 medical personnel reported killed across the region. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that Jerusalem hospital in Gaza was out of service due to a fuel shortage and a power outage. In the meantime, the day’s events included an incident on the Lebanon-Israel border and an anti-tank missile attack that reportedly injured many Israeli civilians, underscoring the widening reach of the violence across the region.