Amid the intense fight, three newborn babies died in the hospital after it went “out of service” amid intense fighting in the area, the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health stated.

Dr Munir Al-Bursh, Director-General of the health ministry, told CNN that two babies died at Al-Shifa Hospital after a shell struck nearby which resulted in cutting off the generator that powers the incubators in the neonatal ward while another baby died on Saturday morning. Al-Shifa director Mohammad Abu Salmiya said the facility was hit repeatedly overnight in a new round of strikes that knocked out the power for several hours.

Hospital’s head of surgery, Marwan Abu Sada told AFP that outside Al-Shifa, there was “shooting and bombardment everywhere”. “You can hear it at every second,” he was quoted as saying by the group Medical Aid For Palestinians as reported by AFP. “No one can get out from the Al-Shifa hospital. No one can come to the Al-Shifa hospital,” he added.

On the other hand, the Israeli military said “There is no shooting at the hospital” however acknowledged that troops were engaged in clashes with Hamas militants around the complex.

Dr Al-Bursh also told CNN that doctors in the hospital now are forced to use their hands to carry out artificial respiration on the 36 babies left in the ward. “The intensive care unit, pediatric department, and oxygen devices have stopped working,” Ministry spokesman Dr Ashraf al-Qidra said as quoted by CNN.

Doctors Without Borders, a medical charity, in a statement told CNN that it was unable to get in touch with any of the employees at the hospital, and said “Ambulances can no longer move to collect the injured, and non-stop bombardment prevents patients and staff from evacuating,” as quoted by CNN.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters poured across the heavily militarised border on October 7, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

Vowing to destroy the militant group, Israel retaliated with relentless bombardments and a ground campaign that the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip says has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly civilians and many of them children.

IDF says working with Shifa hospital staff to provide safe passage southward for Gazans

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that they are working with Gaza’s hospital staff to provide safe passage southward for Gazans from Shifa Hospital. IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, “There has been a lot of misinformation coming from Gaza today. So, I want to clarify the facts. There is no siege. I repeat, there is no siege of the Shifa Hospital.” He added, “The east side of the hospital is open on Al-Wehda Street for the safe passage of Gazans who wish to leave the hospital. We are speaking directly and regularly with the hospital staff.”