Elderly Palestinian Recounts Ordeal of Being Shot by Sniper Outside Khan Yunis Hospital
(Arab World Press) - From his bed at the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, an injured elderly Palestinian man recounted the horror he faced at al-Amal Hospital, where he was shot at the entrance by Israeli snipers. He was later discharged when the hospital was evacuated after being surrounded by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that the hospital had gone out of service after scores of patients and wounded people were evacuated to the European Hospital.
Mahmoud al-Hasini, the wounded Palestinian, said, “I was sick at home and a doctor from a nearby [shelter] school came to take me to the hospital because I’d had a stroke. They took me with difficulty to the door of al-Amal Hospital, and on the steps they [Israeli troops] opened fire, and I was hit at the hospital entrance.”
His daughter, Karima, explained that her father’s condition meant he had to be taken to the hospital urgently despite the risky situation in the presence of Israeli forces.
She said, “My father had a stroke and a doctor came to transfer him to Al-Amal Hospital. The situation was dangerous with the presence of snipers and tanks and anyone who approached the hospital was shot.”
Karima added, “The bodies of martyrs were lying in the streets, and no one could approach them. Our relatives raised a white flag and continued guiding my father until they miraculously reached the door of al-Amal Hospital. However, as soon as they arrived, a sniper opened fire and shot my father in his legs.”
Bashar Murad, Executive Director of the Palestinian Red Crescent in the Gaza Strip, said that al-Amal Hospital became dysfunctional following the Israeli raid.
“Yesterday, al-Amal Hospital was out of service after the Israeli army stormed it and sniped everyone who was moving inside, forcing us to evacuate the entire hospital. Ambulance and emergency services inside the city were also suspended in addition to the hospital.”
Murad continued, “We fear for Rafah, as there is an Israeli scenario [of storming the city] on the table. If this happens, it will be a major catastrophe for the health service, because al-Amal Hospital was the only hospital still operating in Khan Yunis governorate, after the Nasser Medical Complex, as well as al-Khair Hospital and al-Salam Hospitals went out of service.”