The occupation forces caused massive destruction in the Al-Shifa complex and its surroundings (Al-Jazeera)

Gaza -

Residents of Gaza City woke up to massive destruction caused by the Israeli occupation army to the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and the surrounding area, after it withdrew from it in the early hours of Monday morning.

Thousands of citizens flocked to the area west of Gaza City, to inspect the effects of the Israeli invasion, and to check on their homes that they were forced to leave, but what they saw was shocking.

Al Jazeera's correspondent reported that the Israeli army had completely withdrawn at dawn today from inside and around the Shifa Medical Complex.

Director General of the Government Media Office, Ismail Al-Thawabta, said that the occupation committed a crime that “killed nearly 400 martyrs inside and outside the Al-Shifa Complex.”

Al-Thawabta mentioned - in an exclusive interview with Al-Jazeera Net - that the occupation made the bodies of the martyrs into piles, then filled them with dirt with bulldozers, destroyed all the buildings of the Shifa Complex, burned them, and bombed them with aircraft and tanks during its siege of the complex, which lasted for two weeks.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to Al Jazeera Net reported that the occupation army burned the two largest buildings in the complex, which are “Specialized Surgery” and “Reception and Emergency,” which includes orthopedic departments, and also destroyed a bridge connecting them.

Citizens were shocked by dozens of decomposing bodies that were dumped in the hospital courtyards after the occupation withdrew (Al Jazeera)

Decomposing bodies

The occupation tanks targeted the hospital buildings with shells and heavy bullets. Fires were also burning in the hospital administration building and the outpatient clinics building when citizens arrived at the hospital. The mortuary room and electrical generators were not spared from destruction. The occupation bulldozers also completely destroyed the complex's courtyards and gardens, while stones and rubble were scattered everywhere.

Citizens were shocked by dozens of decomposing bodies that were lying in the hospital courtyards, after the occupation destroyed a temporary cemetery that Palestinians had set up in the complex earlier, and took the bodies out of them and dumped them in different areas of the medical complex. Inside the hospital departments, the destruction was widespread, as soldiers destroyed beds, medical equipment, and furniture.

A nurse who lived through the siege inside the hospital spoke to Al Jazeera about the horrors she experienced during the siege. She stated that some patients died and the occupation forces did not allow them to be buried, which led to their bodies decomposing.

The nurse said, "After several days, they asked us to bury the bodies, but they were decomposing and worms were coming out of them... something indescribable." She added, "I have never lived through a situation like this in my life. In addition to being far from my family and the terror and bulldozers sweeping over them, and the soldiers, tanks, and patients suffering and us being unable to treat them or clean their wounds... We were making it easy for ourselves that our reward is from the Lord of the Worlds."

The occupation forces caused massive destruction in the Al-Shifa complex and its surroundings (Al-Jazeera)

Massive destruction

In the vicinity of the medical complex, the destruction was widespread and unprecedented. Eyewitnesses told Al Jazeera Net that the occupation forces changed the features of the area, bulldozing streets and completely removing residential squares. The opening of new streets for the passage of occupation vehicles also led to the destruction of many citizens’ homes.

In the streets surrounding the complex, citizens found bodies lying on both sides of the road. They were suspected of being executed by the occupation army due to the handcuffs that were binding them.

Near the "Haider Abdel Shafi" roundabout, to the south of the complex, citizens found the bodies of a number of citizens - including a woman - lying on the ground, with plastic handcuffs clearly visible.

The occupation army burned all the cars inside and around the hospital. The destruction extended to streets relatively far from Al-Shifa Complex, especially in Al-Nasr, Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, Ahmed Abdel Aziz, and Omar Al-Mukhtar Streets, and the “Ansar” area.

Throughout the period of the Israeli invasion, which lasted for about two weeks, the forces forced many citizens to flee to the southern Gaza Strip, but detained another part of them in their homes without food or drink, and without providing a safe passage for them to exit.

They rushed to leave their homes as soon as they learned of the withdrawal of the occupation forces, to obtain water and food, and to inspect their neighbors and their area. Many citizens also rushed to search for their missing relatives since the beginning of the invasion.

The four children of Fadi Abdo who were martyred with their parents (Al Jazeera)

Recovering bodies

The occupation forces destroyed many homes on top of their owners, without allowing ambulance and civil defense crews to rescue them. Throughout the period of the invasion, many families published appeals to the concerned authorities to take action to rescue them, or to rescue their relatives who were trapped under the rubble after their homes were bombed.

But these appeals fell on deaf ears among the occupation army.

As soon as members of the Abdo family learned of the news of the withdrawal of the occupation forces, they rushed to the house of one of their relatives, which was destroyed by the occupation forces on the heads of its residents, to retrieve the bodies of the martyrs from under its rubble.

A family member (who requested to remain anonymous) told Al Jazeera Net that the occupation forces bombed the house of businessman Munther Abdo 3 days ago, which led to his serious injuries, and the death of his wife Maryam, his son Fadi and his wife, and all 4 of Fadi’s children.

Due to the scarcity of civil defense crews and their lack of capabilities, members of the Abdo family worked to recover the bodies of the martyrs with their own hands and simple tools.

As for Muawiyah Al-Nawati, who lives in Germany, he wrote a post on his Facebook account in which he mourned his daughter and her husband. Al-Nawati added, "After the occupation army defeated Al-Shifa Hospital, their bodies were found in the house they were in (west of the hospital), and they moved to the House of Resurrection."

The Israeli invasion of the Shifa complex and the surrounding area began on March 18.

For its part, the Israeli army announced the end of its military operation in the complex, and claimed that it was conducted without causing harm to civilians, patients, and medical teams.

Israeli Army Radio said that the army killed 200, arrested 500 others, detained about 900 for investigation, and evacuated 6,000 during its operation in the medical complex and its surroundings.

Source: Al Jazeera