According to the military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have taken control of a portion of al-Shifa Hospital, the biggest medical facility in the Gaza Strip.

Early on Wednesday morning, the Israeli military posted on Telegram, saying, “IDF forces are carrying out a precise and targeted operation against Hamas in a specified area in the Shifa Hospital, based on intelligence information and an operational necessity.”

The operation, according to the IDF, is being carried out by personnel, including medical teams and people who know Arabic, “who have undergone specified training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the civilians being used by Hamas as human shields.”Washington had earlier backed Israeli assertions that that the Islamist group Hamas is using hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes.”We have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad use some hospitals in the Gaza Strip – including al-Shifa – and tunnels underneath them to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, “a variety of intelligence sourcing.”

Tuesday saw a worsening of the dire humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as much attention was directed toward somber reports regarding the condition of the crumbling health system following nearly six weeks of hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the dominant group in Gaza.

UN Secretary General António Guterres appealed for a ceasefire “in the name of humanity,” expressing his “deep disturbed” response to the dangerous situation at Gaza’s hospitals.There was heavy fighting between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli soldiers near numerous hospitals in northern Gaza.

Palestinian and UN authorities report that several patients, including newborns, have died in recent days due to attacks on hospitals and a shortage of fuel to create electricity.

The Ministry of Health, which is under Hamas authority, reports that about 180 decaying remains on the premises of al-Shifa Hospital have started to be buried in a mass grave in a courtyard.

Verification of the account was not possible right away. However, it aligned with the accounts provided by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which said on Monday that it had learned of approximately 100 corpses that were unable to be interred at the hospital.The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the hospital was still in operation, contrary to statements made by health officials at the weekend.

“We call it a functioning hospital because of the heroic efforts of the staff remaining,” WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said in Geneva on Tuesday.Of the estimated 2.3 million residents of the closed-off area, about 1.6 million have been forced to flee since the Israeli assaults began on October 7. Many have sought safety in medical facilities.

Around 1,200 people were killed in massacres carried out in Israel by Hamas and other militants, which served as the impetus for Israel’s offensive. Additionally, the groups abducted about 240 persons and transported them to Gaza.

Tuesday saw three injuries in Tel Aviv as rockets fired by militants in Gaza struck the city once more. The last time rockets from Palestinian territory attacked the city was on Friday.

The Health Ministry in Gaza, which is operated by Hamas, reports that 11,500 Palestinians have died in Gaza since the conflict began on October 7.Some 29,000 people have been injured.

The UN’s main agency in the Gaza Strip said late Tuesday that humanitarian operations were ending due to the lack of fuel.

Israel has not allowed fuel into the territory because it says it could be used by Hamas fighters.