Israeli strikes hit Al Shifa Medical Complex sheltering thousands of war refugees | NBC News |

Strikes hit the Gaza Strip's largest hospital Friday, badly wounding displaced civilians on its grounds and in some cases forcing them to move yet again and seek refuge amid the devastating war.

The scenes of bloodshed and desperation at Al-Shifa Hospital came as Israeli forces closed in on the center of Gaza City, near at least four hospitals, according to Palestinian health officials.

In one video appearing to show an outpatient clinic of Al-Shifa on Friday, a young girl covered in blood shrieks with her hands held up to the sky. 

"My father and brother," she wails. Nearby, a boy lies on the ground, motionless with his eyes open as a pool of blood forms around his head.

Dr. Adnan Albursh, a consultant orthopedic surgeon at Al-Shifa said there were multiple bombardments around the hospital throughout the day.

Late Friday night, he said the bombing had increased, telling NBC News around midnight: "Every time, every minute, we hear bombing around us ... They bombed the gate, the main gate of the hospital."

Gazans sheltering at Al-Shafaa hospital face 'unbearable' conditions | Arab News |

Al-Shafaa Medical Complex in the Gaza Strip has become a refuge for more than 50,000 displaced Palestinians. Many of them are in makeshift tents outside, others have squeezed into the corridors and waiting rooms, even though the hospital is a target for the ongoing Israeli onslaught that started over a month ago.

Al-Shafaa, the largest medical center in Gaza, has been stretched to the limit. Doctors are battling to treat thousands of serious injuries despite severe shortages of medical resources, clean water and power.

The situation is exacerbated by the Israel Defense Forces' repeated bombardment of the hospital and its ambulances under the pretext of eradicating Hamas. The most recent attack took place early on Friday, targeting the outpatient clinic, the obstetrics department, and the courtyard, leaving several Palestinians dead or injured.

The IDF has also bombed several other hospitals in Gaza in recent days, including Al-Nasr Children's Hospital and the Indonesian Hospital.

Displaced Palestinians at Al-Shafaa are finding the situation unbearable. They have been battling harsh conditions due to overcrowding, a lack of basic necessities including clean water, and power shortages. The medical center relies on weak solar-powered generators.

Abu Mohammad Al-Mallahi, 62, who has been staying in a makeshift tent with his family outside the hospital, told Arab News that clean drinking water is hard to come by, and families have not been receiving any food parcels.

"Gaza has been divided into three parts, and we are in the area where there are no vegetables at all," he said. "Even flour and bread -- basically everything -- is hard to obtain."

People are taking life "one day at a time," he added, wondering during the day if they will make it until nighttime, and knowing at night that they might not wake up in the morning.

"We are innocent civilians, and there are children and women here," he said. "We call on the United Nations to come to our aid."

Walkouts, rallies, clashes: Israel-Gaza 'war of words' roils
Columbia University | The Guardian - 9 Nov 2023 |

President Abbas holds several meetings on sidelines of Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh | WAFA |

President Mahmoud Abbas held several meetings today with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, during which he called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

President Abbas engaged in separate bilateral meetings with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jameel Rashid, the Crown Prince of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.

During the meetings, Abbas briefed the others sides on the latest developments in Palestine, especially in Gaza. He emphasized the urgent need to immediately halt the all-out Israeli aggression on our people in Gaza and the West Bank.

Abbas called for the swift entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and an end to the terror attacks by Israeli settler militias in the occupied West Bank.

President Abbas reiterated Palestine's unequivocal rejection of the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank, or Jerusalem. He emphasized that there is no security or military solution for Gaza and that it is an integral part of the State of Palestine.

Israel-Gaza war: Arab and Islamic leaders in Riyadh call for immediate end to fighting | The National UAE |

'Sapere aude'

His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, on 11 November 2023, addressed a speech to the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit, held in Riyadh, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Therefore, it is incumbent on the international community and on all of us to make sure the future of the region and its people is not left in the hands of those engaging in outbidding tactics. When it comes to the future of the region, there can be no room for those tactics, nor for self-serving agendas.

We must also deal with this crucial moment in a manner which is consistent with historical responsibility, including the following self-evident facts:

There is no alternative to genuine peace in the region - peace which guarantees the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people on the basis of the two-State solution;

There is no alternative to an independent Palestinian State, with East Jerusalem as its capital;

There is no alternative to strengthening the Palestinian Authority, under the leadership of my brother President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen;

And there is no alternative to establishing mechanisms for sustainable regional security, based on respect for international law and the agreed international resolutions.

Your Majesties, Your Highnesses,

Resolving this crisis and making sure it does not happen again will be achieved only by stopping the aggression against Al-Quds Al-Sharif and ending the provocations that hurt the feelings of more than a billion Muslims.

For this reason, I have always keenly sought, in my capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to draw attention to the seriousness of these Israeli practices and provocations, and to the dire consequences they have for security and stability in the entire region.

In parallel, we have been working on the ground, through the Bayt Mal Al-Quds Al-Sharif Agency, to protect the Holy City, and preserve its historical and legal status as well as the holy, religious sites therein.

As indicated in the "Jerusalem Call," which I signed with His Holiness Pope Francis, it is the duty of everyone to preserve the Holy City of Jerusalem as a shared heritage of humankind and, above all, as a symbol of values of mutual respect.

Whoever thinks that the logic of force can change this reality and this deeply-rooted identity is wrong. As Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, I shall always rise against such attempts, in coordination with my brother, His Majesty King Abdullah II, the custodian of the Islamic and Christian holy places in Jerusalem.

FOREIGN MINISTER SHOUKRY: (Via interpreter) Thank you very much.  I think it's inappropriate for me to talk about the U.S. position in the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State.  I believe we had a very comprehensive and transparent conversation and with countries that share the desire to work effectively to contain this crisis and to put down the foundations and solutions that would spare the region from these conflicts that allows us also to talk about and deal with all issues using the same measures, and to protect civilians and to ensure the flow of humanitarian assistance, and also to deal with the root causes of the crisis, which is the failure to implement decades later the agreement to establish a two-state solution given that this would put an end to the conflict and end the enmity between the two parties and would mitigate all the threats related to that.

We always look forward to work closely with the U.S.  We have a strategic relationship with the U.S. and we appreciate the capabilities available to the U.S.  There was interest and very clear interest that we reached, and we will work in the future to translate these ideas and visions into a reality on the ground to contain this severe crisis and humanitarian crisis.  All efforts should be - should come together and to work positively and end this conflict, not just even end this crisis but also the root causes of the conflict.

Arab League and OIC summit on Gaza calls for Israel arms embargo | The National UAE |

Leaders urge International Criminal Court to complete its investigation into war crimes committed by Israel

🚨BREAKING: The Arab League & OIC Summit called for an ARMS EMBARGO against Israel.

Additionally, summit communique also called on the International Criminal Court to complete its investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in all the... pic.twitter.com/9VcRJUnJgY

— Firas 🇵🇸 (@mano_da_bounce) November 11, 2023

The joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Co-operation summit has called for an arms embargo against Israel after concluding three days of talks on their collective response and action regarding the developments in Gaza.

"We demand all countries to stop exporting weapons and ammunition to the occupation authorities that are used by their army and the terrorist settlers who kill the Palestinian people and destroy their homes, hospitals, schools, mosques and churches," the final communique read.

The leaders called on the International Criminal Court to complete its investigation into alleged war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in all the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

Specifically, the leaders also called for the establishment of two specialised legal monitoring units to document Israeli crimes committed in the Gaza Strip since October 7 and to prepare to file legal proceedings in international courts.

Saudi Arabia and the other countries called on Saturday for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza, declaring at the joint summit in Riyadh that Israel bears responsibility for "crimes" against Palestinians.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gathered Arab and Muslim leaders for the summit as the kingdom seeks to exert its influence to press the US and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza.

Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia affirmed its "condemnation and categorical rejection of this barbaric war against our brothers in Palestine".

Q&A: Israel's bloodlust shows international law is a 'manipulated series of norms'

Renowned International Law Professor Richard Falk says Western leadership becomes "self-righteous" to enforce international law "when it's in their interest" while in other cases, they remain silent.

'Sapere aude'