What We Know About the Hospitals in Gaza

The focal point of the Israel-Hamas war has shifted over the last few days to the main hospital in Gaza. And while both sides have blamed the other for putting civilians at risk in the fighting near Shifa Hospital, one thing not in dispute is that the situation is dire. "Around the hospital there are dead bodies which cannot be taken care of or not even be buried or taken away to any sort of morgue," Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, tells the BBC. "The hospital is not working at all anymore as well as it should. It's nearly a cemetery." Coverage:

• Competing claims: As the New York Times reports, for both Palestinians and Israelis, the hospital "has emerged as a symbol of the other side's inhumanity." Israel insists Hamas has built military infrastructure directly under the hospital, which it says is evidence of the group's willingness to use civilians as human shields and "cannon fodder." Hamas, as well as the hospital's director, deny the hospital sits atop a military complex.

• Tanks roll in: On Monday, Israeli tanks took up positions outside the gates of the hospital, reports Reuters, which calls the medical center Israel's "primary target in their battle to seize control of the northern half of the Gaza Strip." More than 600 patients remain inside, hoping to be evacuated by the Red Cross or a similar agency, according to Reuters. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday that the loss of electricity has led to least 12 deaths.
• Other hospitals: Shifa is not the only hospital under fire in Gaza. The BBC has a comprehensive look, noting that the WHO says 22 hospitals and 14 other medical facilities have been damaged in the last month, with "only a handful" still operational. Like Shifa, most have lost power or vital medical supplies, putting infants who were on incubators at particular risk.
• What's next: In the past, Israel has largely steered clear of the hospitals out of fear of civilian casualties, but that will likely not happen this time. "The hospitals will be surrounded, pressure will be put on people to leave," Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser, tells the Times. "I don't see Israel going headlong against the civilians, but the hospital—or at least what's underneath it—has got to be cleared out."

(More Israel-Hamas war stories.)