Israel faces pressure over Gaza deaths as fighting rages near hospitals

Israel faced mounting international pressure to do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza as the death toll rose and fighting intensified near hospitals.

The number of Palestinians killed during the bombardment of the coastal enclave in the past five weeks rose above 11,000, according to Gaza health officials, as Israeli forces waged war on Hamas militants who carried out the deadly October 7 attack in southern Israel.

'Far too many Palestinians have been killed'

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on a visit to India on Friday, "Far too many Palestinians have been killed; far too many have suffered these past weeks."

But Blinken reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel's campaign to ensure that Gaza can no longer be used "as a platform for launching terrorism."

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that Israel must stop bombing Gaza and killing civilians. France, he said, "clearly condemns" the "terrorist" actions of Hamas, but recognizes Israel's right to protect itself.

"We do urge them to stop this bombing," Macron said.

In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said world leaders should be condemning Hamas, and not Israel. "These crimes that Hamas (is) committing today in Gaza will be committed tomorrow in Paris, New York and anywhere in the world," Netanyahu said.

Israel has said that Hamas militants, who are holding as many as 240 hostages of different nationalities taken in last month's attack, would exploit a truce to regroup if there were a ceasefire.

Saudi Arabia was set to host an extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit on Saturday. The Saudi foreign ministry said "countries feel the need to unify efforts and come out with a unified collective position."

Israeli army surrounds Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza

The Israeli army has besieged the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza amid heavy clashes with the Palestinian militants in the territory, Palestinian security sources said Saturday.

"Tanks and military vehicles of the Israeli army have been encircling the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Hospital from all main axes for hours, coinciding with heavy artillery shelling in the area," said the Palestinian security sources.

They said that ambulances were unable to leave the Al-Shifa Medical Complex and transfer the wounded amid fears that they might become a moving target.

Local eyewitnesses said that they heard massive explosions during the night from violent armed clashes between Israeli army forces and militants of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, in several areas of Gaza City, especially in the vicinity of the Al-Shifa Hospital.

Established in 1946, the Al-Shifa Medical Complex is the largest health institution in the Gaza Strip. It includes three specialized hospitals and employs 25 percent of hospital workers across the strip.

Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said the Hamas headquarters was in Al-Shifa Hospital's basement, which meant the facility could lose its protected status and become a legitimate target.

Israel says Hamas hides weapons in tunnels under hospitals. Hamas denies that.

'No one is safe'

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that health workers the group was in contact with at Al-Shifa had been forced to leave the hospital in search of safety.

"Many of the thousands sheltering at the hospital are forced to evacuate due to security risks, while many still remain there," Tedros wrote on social media.

In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council Friday, Tedros said that "nowhere and no one is safe" in Gaza, where the health system is "on its knees." The situation on the ground is grim, said the WHO chief, from hospitals conducting operations without anesthesia to the fact that a child is killed every 10 minutes.

Tedros said the best way to show support is by providing what health workers need to save lives, adding that, the WHO continues to call for a ceasefire.

(With input from agencies)