The United Nations warns a “tragedy of colossal proportions” is underway in the Gaza Strip, one month after Israel laid siege to the Palestinian territory and began a round-the-clock bombardment. On Monday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres renewed his urgent call for an immediate ceasefire, citing the more than 10,000 Palestinians killed by Israel strikes. Over 4,000 of the dead are children.
Secretary-General António Guterres: “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day.”
Earlier today, the Israeli military ordered the immediate evacuation of Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital in Gaza City. Israel already shelled the hospital two days ago and is threatening to bomb the building. After headlines, we’ll speak with the president and founder of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, who established the Gaza Strip’s only pediatric cancer center at the hospital.
On Monday, Israel’s military admitted it struck a convoy of ambulances outside Al-Shifa Hospital last week. Those attacks killed 15 people and wounded dozens. This is Haneed Abdelhakim Saad, a patient who narrowly survived the assault.
Haneed Abdelhakim Saad: “The ambulance came to take us to Egypt for treatment. While we were on the road, they started firing at us, and the ambulance in front of us was hit. The people in front of us were martyred, and we were moved back to Al-Shifa Hospital. … I lost consciousness and woke up in the hospital. They told me that I had debris in my mouth and that I had a 3% chance to make it, that my condition was very critical. I have a fracture in the head. My shoulder is dislocated.”
