Israel Raids Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital

Facts

• Israeli forces launched a raid into Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital in an overnight raid Monday morning, saying that senior Hamas militants 'regrouped' inside the hospital. Eyewitnesses reported heavy tank and gunfire, with one saying the situation was catastrophic.¹
• Al-Jazeera reported that Israeli forces arrested and physically assaulted one of its Arabic correspondents working in the Gaza Strip, Ismail al-Ghoul, during the raid. Witnesses also reported that Israeli forces destroyed the broadcasting vehicles of news crews at al-Shifa.²
• The raid comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu again vowed on Sunday that Israel will resist the intensifying international pressure, particularly from the US, to delay an operation into the Gaza border town of Rafah — in which over 1M displaced Palestinians have taken refuge.³
• Netanyahu, who is set to speak with US Pres. Joe Biden later on Monday, insinuated while meeting with American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) leadership that Washington's criticisms of Israel's conduct in the war had been 'deliberately false.'⁴
• Former US. Pres. Donald Trump, who is expected to be Pres. Joe Biden's main contender in this year's election, criticized Biden's policy toward Israel on Sunday, saying that the sitting president didn't care about Israel. Trump also stressed that, regarding the war, 'you have to finish it up and do it quickly' to ensure peace in the region.⁵
• A UN agency released a report on Monday saying that famine is 'imminent' in northern Gaza and expected to occur 'anytime between mid-March and May 2024,' expecting a steep rise in deaths due to starvation as around 300K Palestinians in the north face dire circumstances.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Al Jazeera, ³Financial Times, ⁴The Times of Israel, ⁵Axios and ⁶The New York Times.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Truthout. Israel is purposefully creating a famine in Gaza at a rate unprecedented in the post-WWII era. Israeli forces have been blocking food, water, and other necessities from entering Gaza since the war began, and have intensified those efforts to facilitate a horrific and dehumanizing situation for Palestinians, with people being forced to drink contaminated water and eat whatever they can find, including grass and moldy potatoes. This level of cruelty is simply unfathomable, and Israel must be held accountable for these atrocious crimes.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NBC. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US is committed to preventing malicious actors from threatening Israel's legitimate concerns. However, the Biden admin. is losing its patience with Netanyahu's intransigence. The humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly getting out of hand, and the situation must be remedied. The Biden admin. is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Palestinian civilians and is now taking its own steps to alleviate this dreadful situation.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by The Jerusalem Post. Israel will always be thankful for the US' steadfast support, but the Biden admin. needs to refrain from tying Israel's hands behind its back. Hamas is simply not interested in negotiating in good faith and has consistently shown its preference for violence. In contrast, Israel has done everything it can to ensure the safety of civilians in a war it did not want, even going so far as to put its own soldiers at risk just to preserve this principle. Israel will pursue its goals, which are incredibly popular with its citizens, regardless of whether it annoys Washington or anyone else.

Predictions