Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday claimed that Hamas has lost control of the Gaza Strip that it has ruled for 16 years. He said terrorists are fleeing southward and civilians are looting Hamas bases, without providing evidence
Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday claimed that Hamas has "lost control" of the Gaza Strip that it has ruled for 16 years. His claim comes after over a month of mounting attacks between Israel and Hamas that has brought unseen levels of death and destruction to Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinian residents.
"Hamas has lost control of Gaza. Terrorists are fleeing southward. Civilians are looting Hamas bases," he said, albeit without providing evidence. "They don't have faith in the government anymore," Gallant said in a video broadcast on Israel's main TV stations, according to AFP.
The ongoing war has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, and least 1,200 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians who were targeted in the initial Hamas attack. The death toll however hasn't been updated by health officials since Friday because of the difficulty of accessing hard-hit areas and collecting information as Israeli forces target hospitals in Gaza.
On Monday, Israel attacked Gaza's largest hospital Al Shifa, where thousands of Palestinians have been seeking refuge and treatment. Palestinian health officials said the hospital compound was surrounded by constant heavy gunfire. Doctors, who have been running low on supplies, are performing surgery on war-wounded patients, including children, without anesthesia.
The Health Ministry said three babies and four other patients have died since the hospital's emergency generator ran out of fuel on Saturday. It said another 36 babies and other patients are at risk of dying because there is no way to power life-saving medical equipment. World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Shifa has been without water for three days and “is not functioning as a hospital anymore," in a post on social media.
Although the White House earlier said that Israel agreed to brief daily humanitarian pauses to allow civilians to flee, it continues to strike what it says are militant targets across southern Gaza, often killing women and children.