Newborn Palestinian babies in incubators are beginning to die as Israeli forces put Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital under total siege and power blackout.
Israeli fighter jets and tanks have been shelling the area outside the hospital, the biggest in the coastal enclave, for over 12 hours without a pause.
The hospital's yard was struck on Saturday, leading to a fire. It came shortly after electricity was completely shut down.
The power outage has led to the death of one premature baby hooked to incubators so far, according to Munir al-Bursh, the director of the Palestinian ministry of health.
Al-Bursh said more babies and patients on life support will die every hour if power does not return soon.
"Electric lines were cut off and generators stopped working. We are surrounded and cannot leave our places," al-Bursh told Al Jazeera.
Muhammad Abu Salima, the director of Al-Shifa hospital, said there was currently no water, no fuel and no internet.
The ministry of health said on Friday night that up to 30,000 people are inside the hospital's complex, including patients, displaced people and medical staff.
"Thousands are trapped inside the complex, including patients, medical staff, and some first responders and civil defence personnel," Abu Salima said.
"We are hours away from death, and the world is watching us die, but we are not numbers," he added.
MEE
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