November 19, 2023 Israel-Hamas war

Our live coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has moved here.

The newly exposed tunnel shaft at the Al-Shifa hospital complex.

Even in the darkness, the utter devastation in northern Gaza is clear as day. The empty shells of buildings, illuminated by the last shreds of light, lurch out of the landscape on the dirt roads across the Gaza Strip. At night, the only signs of life are the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) vehicles that rumble the landscape, tightening the military’s grip on the northern sector.

On Saturday night, we traveled with the IDF into Gaza to see the newly exposed tunnel shaft discovered at the compound of Al-Shifa Hospital, the enclave’s largest medical facility.

The IDF had promised “concrete evidence” that Hamas was using the hospital complex above ground as cover for what it called terror infrastructure underneath, including a command and control hub.

Standing on the edge of the tunnel shaft, it was apparent that the structure itself was substantial. At the top, the remains of a ladder hung over the lip of the opening. In the center of the round shaft, a center pole looked like a hub for a spiral staircase. The shaft itself extended down farther than we could see, especially in the meager light of our headlamps.

Video released by the IDF from inside the shaft is arguably the most compelling evidence thus far that the IDF has offered that there may be a network of tunnels below the hospital. It does not establish without a doubt that there is a command center under Gaza’s largest hospital, but it is clear that there is a tunnel down below. Seeing what connects to that tunnel is absolutely critical.

Hamas has repeatedly denied that there is a network of tunnels below Shifa hospital. Health officials who have spoken with CNN have said the same, insisting it is only a medical facility.

As is so rarely the case in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this answer truly is black and white. Either there is an underground series of tunnels below the hospital. Or there is not.

Some context: CNN reported from inside Gaza under IDF media escort at all times. As a condition for journalists to join this embed, media outlets had to submit footage filmed in Gaza to the Israeli military for review and agreed not to reveal sensitive locations and soldiers’ identities. CNN retained editorial control over the final report. 

Read more here.

Neonatal babies receive treatment after being transferred from Al-Shifa Hospital to Emirates Maternity Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.

Doctors from Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital in Rafah, in southern Gaza who are treating 31 neonatal babies who were evacuated from Gaza City say all the babies are fighting serious infections, according to a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday.

Eleven of the young babies are in “critical condition,” the WHO said in their statement.

The WHO said the babies had fallen ill due to a lack of medical supplies at Al-Shifa Hospital and the difficulty of continuing infection control measures in Al-Shifa Hospital amid an ongoing Israeli assault.

Dr. Mohammad Salamah at the Al-Helal Al-Emirati Maternity Hospital told CNN: “We are conducting tests on all those babies and they were given fluids and needed medication according to their condition. For now, they are in a difficult, stable condition, but this condition might deteriorate, especially given that we might run out of electricity at any time now as long as fuel doesn’t get into Gaza.”

“Six health workers and 10 of their family members, who had been sheltering at the hospital, were also evacuated,” WHO said.

It was hoped that the parents of the newborns would be able to travel to safety with their children, but the WHO said very few of the infants were accompanied by family members.

This was because Gazan officials were not easily able to find close family members due to the intense fighting between Israel and Hamas and communications blackouts.

CNN spoke to one father, Ali Sbeiti, who managed to be reunited with his young son, Anas, who was born three days before the war. 

“Thank God. We now feel that our son is safe after not seeing him for more than two weeks. We didn’t know whether he was dead or alive, especially when communications were disconnected with the doctors,” Sbeiti said.

A still from CCTV video released by the Israel Defense Forces that it says shows Hamas fighters bringing hostages into Al-Shifa Hospital on October 7.

The Israel Defense Forces has released CCTV videos and still images it says show Hamas fighters bringing hostages into the Al-Shifa Hospital on October 7.

IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari presented two short videos, along with several still images, which he said show Hamas fighters moving the hostages – one Nepali, one Thai – through the hospital, Gaza’s largest.

One of the CCTV videos shows a hostage being brought into the hospital through the main entrance, Hagari said. The hostage is being marched by force through the building.

Hagari, at a news conference Sunday, said the second CCTV video shows a second hostage – who has a bandaged hand and is clearly bleeding – being pushed on a gurney down a hallway and into a room.

Hagari did not spell out how the IDF had acquired the videos, although he did say Israeli intelligence officers were part of the operation inside the hospital to try to locate the hostages.

CNN cannot independently verify the content of the videos and the stills.

Opposing narratives: The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry responded to the IDF briefing by questioning the authenticity of the videos and stills — but went on to say that, if true, the pictures showed that hospitals were providing medical care to anyone who needed it.

The IDF spokesman dismissed suggestions the hostages had been brought to the hospital because they were wounded, claiming one of the two hostages was not injured and did not need medical treatment. They had been brought to the hospital first, before being later moved to hiding spots, like nearby apartments, he said.

“If medical care had been given at the hospital, if the hostages had remained there, then the Red Cross would have come, and the people would have been released. None of these things happened,” he said.

In a statement issued Saturday before the release of the CCTV videos, Hamas said it had brought several hostages to hospitals for medical treatment after they were injured in Israeli airstrikes.

Hagari said the latest videos had been shared with diplomats of the hostages’ countries of origin, adding the IDF has not yet located the Nepali and Thai hostages in Gaza.

The Nepali Embassy in Israel and Nepal’s Foreign Ministry had confirmed with CNN before the publication of the video that one Nepali citizen remained missing after the October 7 attack and was believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas.

Ten Nepali citizens were killed and several others injured when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, Nepal’s ambassador to Israel told CNN after the attack.

More context: After raiding Al-Shifa Hospital last Wednesday, the IDF is under tremendous pressure to prove its long-standing assertion that Hamas uses Gaza’s largest medical center for combat and command purposes.

The military also released video Sunday from inside an exposed tunnel shaft at the Al-Shifa compound, showing an underground tunnel extending downward from the shaft opening. 

The killing of civilians in Gaza schools and large evacuations from Al-Shifa Hospital are actions that fly in the face of basic protections civilians are afforded under international law, the United Nation’s top human rights official said Sunday.

The Israeli military has previously pushed back against accusations of war crimes, saying its strikes on what it says are Hamas targets follow international law and that it seeks to minimize civilian casualties.

Türk called the events of the past two days horrendous, saying they beggar belief.

He said hundreds of people have fled Al-Shifa Hospital and were seen heading south, but warned, “Nowhere is safe in Gaza.”

He also said that in Khan Younis in southern Gaza — where hundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled — the IDF has been dropping leaflets, telling residents to go to unspecified shelters, but he stressed, “Irrespective of warnings, Israel is obliged to protect civilians wherever they are.”

Türk again called for an immediate ceasefire on humanitarian and human rights grounds.

“The pain, dread, and fear etched on the faces of children, women and men is too much to bear,” he said. “How much more violence, bloodshed and misery will it take before people come to their senses? How many more civilians will be killed? This must stop.”

The Israel Defense Forces released video from inside an exposed tunnel shaft at the Al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, showing an underground tunnel extending downward from the shaft opening. 

For weeks, the IDF has said Hamas uses Gaza’s largest hospital as cover for what they call terror infrastructure underneath, which Hamas and hospital leaders deny.

But having entering the hospital itself, the IDF is under significant pressure to prove the long-standing assertion with its promise of “concrete evidence.”

Here’s what you need to know:

People look at pictures of Hamas' hostages during a demonstration calling for their release in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 11.

A recent draft of a possible deal to secure the release of hostages that Hamas is holding in Gaza proposes a four- to five-day pause in fighting for the initial release of 50 hostages, two sources familiar with the talks tell CNN.

An agreement has yet to be struck, and the text of a deal has been traded back and forth for weeks. But negotiators hailing from various countries, including senior officials in US President Joe Biden’s administration, are expressing rare optimism about the progress.

While the talks could still break down and sticking points remain, an agreement may now be days away, sources say.

In a sign of how tenuous the talks have been, two sources told CNN Hamas has at least once abruptly put the negotiations on hold recently over various objections, one of which is Israel’s raid of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza. But the discussions eventually picked back up. 

Sticking points: There are still details to be worked out over aid, with Israel expressing concern that aid could go to help Hamas, rather than civilians. Hamas initially requested 500 trucks of aid per day, one of the sources said. One source said that, while discussions are ongoing, a deal involving more than 200 trucks would be logistically challenging.  

There are also questions about how to inspect the trucks and which points of entry to use. The aid would include fuel and cooking oil for bakeries, and continue to flow in after the initial pauses for hostages.

Staggered releases: The most recent discussions involve plans for staggered releases of the hostages, with pauses potentially increasing after an initial release of a significant number of civilians, according to the sources.  

Israel has presented a list of about 100 names of civilian hostages that it wants included in the agreement, one source told CNN. Israel has publicly demanded that all hostages be released.

Hamas has indicated it would be willing to release 50 hostages over a multi-day pause. More hostages, around 20 to 25, could be released after that, as the pauses are extended. 

Hamas has said it needs pauses in fighting to gather the hostages who are being held in different places and by different Hamas-allied groups in Gaza. 

The US National Security Council and Israeli Embassy to the US declined to comment for this story. The Qatari Embassy to the US didn’t respond immediately for comment.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed reporting to this post.

Israel Defense Forces show CNN's Oren Liebermann what they claim to be an entrance to a Hamas tunnel at Al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza. 

CNN’s Oren Liebermann went to the scene of what the Israel Defense Forces says is an exposed Hamas tunnel shaft at the Al-Shifa Hospital compound.

For weeks, the IDF has said Hamas uses Gaza’s largest hospital as cover for what they call terror infrastructure underneath. Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied that the hospital, which the IDF raided last Wednesday, is anything other than a medical complex.

CNN reported from Gaza under Israel Defense Forces escort at all times. As a condition for journalists to join the embed with the IDF, media outlets must submit footage filmed in Gaza to the Israeli military for review.

Watch Liebermann’s report from the hospital compound below:

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03:06 • Source: CNN

The Israeli military has released video from inside an exposed tunnel shaft at the Al-Shifa Hospital compound in Gaza City, showing an underground tunnel extending downward from the shaft opening. 

The video, which runs 3 minutes and 27 seconds and was filmed on Friday, Nov. 17, begins outside the tunnel shaft with several Israel Defense Forces soldiers visible in the opening shot. The video then shows the soldiers preparing to lower equipment into the shaft to examine the interior. There is no audio throughout the clip. 

As the camera is lowered into the shaft, a set of spiral stairs becomes visible around a central pole. The camera then begins advancing along the tunnel before coming to a sharp left turn. The walls of the tunnel appear to be made of vertical slabs of concrete, with an arched concrete roof.

After the turn, the tunnel continues before coming to a closed metal door with what appears to be a small viewing window. The IDF says it has not yet opened the door because the military fears it may be booby-trapped. The IDF says the tunnel shaft extends 10 meters (just over 30 feet) underground and the tunnel itself continues for 55 meters (180 feet). 

“This type of door is used by the Hamas terrorist organization to block Israeli forces from entering the command centers and the underground assets belonging to Hamas,” the IDF and the Israel Security Agency claimed in a statement Sunday evening. 

Hamas and hospital officials have repeatedly denied that the hospital is anything other than a medical complex. 

Key context: For weeks, the IDF has said Hamas uses Gaza’s largest hospital as cover for what they call terror infrastructure underneath. IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Hamas has a command and control center or headquarters underneath the hospital, which other senior Israeli officials have also insisted on. 

But having entering the hospital itself, the IDF is under tremendous pressure to prove the long-standing assertion with its promise of “concrete evidence.” The exposure of the tunnel shaft and video of the tunnel underground is part of the IDF trying to build its case that Hamas uses the hospital for its own purposes. 

The IDF’s ability to continue its operation in Gaza, and the credibility of Israel, are at stake as the number killed in Gaza surpasses 12,000, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. 

The IDF says one of its missions in Gaza is to destroy Hamas, but with international criticism mounting, Israel has to show conclusively that the terror organization is using Gaza’s civilians and infrastructure as cover in order for Israel to justify an ongoing war. 

The White House has warned Israel against carrying out offensive operations in southern Gaza until it has adjusted to account for the hundreds of thousands of civilians who have fled south amid fierce fighting in the north.

Israel’s military, which has said Hamas leadership also fled south, is likely to move into the southern enclave, according to White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer, who added that the country has the “right” to do so, despite the serious concerns over civilian casualties. 

Finer told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Israel should learn from its operations in the north and focus on “greater and enhanced protections for civilian life.”

Finer suggested “narrowing the area of active combat” and “clarifying where civilians can seek refuge from the fighting” to help that happen.

On the future for post-war Gaza: Finer said the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control of the West Bank, will “have to be part” of any future governing solution in both the West Bank and Gaza following the current hostilities — a prospect that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has explicitly opposed.

“Our view is the Palestinian Authority is the only official institutional representative of the Palestinian people in the West Bank, that it will have to be part of any way forward when it comes to governance both in Gaza and the West Bank,” Finer said.

But, Finer acknowledged, the PA faces legitimacy challenges as they work toward any future solution. He said the US government would help the PA enhance “their legitimacy” and “capacity to be able to play this important role.”

Remember: The Palestinian Authority is a separate government body operating out of the West Bank that was established as part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, a peace pact between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization that saw the PLO give up armed resistance against Israel in return for promises of an independent Palestinian state.

Hamas — which is designated as a terrorist organization by the US, European Union and other countries — presents itself as an alternative to the PA, which has recognized Israel and has engaged in multiple failed peace initiatives with it.

CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez contributed to this report.

Washington is gathering information about Saturday’s strikes on a United Nations-run school that was used as a shelter in Gaza, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Sunday.

A spokesperson for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which runs the schools in Palestinian refugee camps and serves as the main UN relief agency in Gaza, confirmed the strike on Saturday. 

The exact number of deaths is not known, but video from al-Fakhoura School in Jabalya shows bloodied bodies across a series of rooms on two floors of the two-story building. Many women and children are among those killed.

The spokesperson could not confirm what caused the blast, nor who was responsible.

The Israeli military is reviewing the incident, it told CNN, but had no further comment.

It was the second time in 24 hours an UNRWA school in northern Gaza was struck, the agency said, as leaders and human rights workers raise concerns over the scale of civilians killed in Israel’s assault on the Palestinian enclave.

Finer said he couldn’t assess Sunday morning whether Israel took US President Joe Biden’s advice about not being driven by rage in retaliating for Hamas’ attacks.

CNN’s Jo Shelley, Andrew Carey and Eyad Kourdi contributed reporting to this post.

Neonatal babies receive treatment after being transferred from Al-Shifa Hospital to Emirates Maternity Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.

The Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza is a “death zone,” the World Health Organization said Sunday, after a group of humanitarian workers visited the facility the day prior.

The WHO said several patients have died over the past two to three days due to the lack of medical services at the hospital, which has become a focal point of the war.

This weekend, the hospital was the scene of a high-stakes evacuation.

Here’s what you need to know:

Neonatal babies receive treatment after being transferred from Al-Shifa Hospital to Emirates Maternity Hospital in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.

A total of 31 neonatal babies have been evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, alongside six health workers and 10 staff family members, World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed Sunday.

“Further missions are being planned to urgently transport remaining patients and health staff out of Al-Shifa Hospital, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict,” he added.

Earlier, an Egyptian government source told CNN the more than two dozen neonatal babies had been evacuated from Al-Shifa.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its ambulance crews aided in the evacuation, working alongside the WHO and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian.

Some context: Israel raided Gaza’s largest hospital Wednesday, complicating the already dire situation at the medical center, where thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering alongside patients and staff.

Doctors who are still at the hospital cannot treat patients due to heavy shelling in the past week. Fuel shortages and a lack of electricity mean they were unable to run incubators for the babies. ICU patients and several neonatal babies in Al-Shifa have died in recent days.

Israel claims Hamas is using the hospital complex for military purposes and has built a command center under the facility — allegations repeatedly rejected by both Hamas and hospital officials. CNN has not verified the claims of either Israel or Hamas.

Israel says a cargo ship carrying 25 crew members was hijacked in the Red Sea on Sunday.

The Israel Defense Forces claimed Yemen’s Houthi rebels captured the ship. The ship is owned by a British company and operated by a Japanese firm, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office, which did not provide details of the companies.

“The hijacking of a cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea is a very grave incident of global consequence. The ship departed Turkey on its way to India, staffed by civilians of various nationalities, not including Israelis. It is not an Israeli ship,” the IDF said in a statement.

CNN has reached out to a Houthi spokesperson for comment regarding Israeli claim, but is yet to hear back.

The Houthis are a Shia political and military organization in Yemen that have been fighting a civil war in the country against a coalition backed by Saudi Arabia. They have voiced support for the Palestinians and organized protests in Yemen, against Israel’s assault on Gaza.

CNN’s Jessie Yeung, Hamdi Alkhshali and Kyle Blaine contributed reporting.

Family and supporters participate in a solidarity march calling for the return of hostages held by Hamas, in Jerusalem, on Saturday, November 18. 

Negotiations to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas are close, and disagreements among parties have been narrowed amid intensive talks, deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Finer declined to dive into the details of the talks, but said officials are working around the clock and that it remains a priority for US President Joe Biden.

Asked about how many hostages the US believes are still alive, Finer responded that they do not have exact numbers.

“One of the challenges associated with this is, we’re not on the ground in Gaza, the United States. We are not in direct contact with Hamas. We do that only through intermediaries. And so, we don’t have perfect fidelity about exact numbers of hostages, including numbers who are still alive,” Finer said.

Some background: Finer’s comments came soon after Qatar’s prime minister — whose country is involved in the talks — also touted progress.

“The sticking points honestly at this stage are more practical, logistical, not really something that represents the core of the deal,” Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said.

Hamas abducted about 240 people during the October 7 attacks, according to Israeli officials, though official accounts have varied as intelligence about the situation in Gaza develops.

Qatar’s prime minister said “good progress” has been made during discussions for the release of hostages taken by Hamas, following the militant group’s deadly incursion into southern Israel last month.

“The sticking points honestly at this stage are more practical, logistical, not really something that represents the core of the deal,” according to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who has been mediating negotiations between Hamas and Israel.

“It is a long way. When you come closer to the goal, you feel your confidence levels are increasing, and we hope that we are reaching to that point,” the prime minister told reporters in a joint press conference with the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, in Doha.

“We’ve been focused in the past four to five weeks now in these negotiations, we’ve tried every way — all possible ways — in order to ensure that civilians are released, and we think all human beings are the same,” the Qatari leader said. 

Some context: Pressure is growing on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal for the safe return of about 240 people abducted by Hamas on October 7, when at least 1,200 people were killed.

On Saturday, the Israeli leader denied reports that Israel was considering a proposal for the release of at least 50 abductees, saying that when the government had something to say, they would report it. 

CNN’s Michael Rios contributed reporting.

A relative tries to salvage items from a destroyed home in Rafah, Gaza, on November 19.

The Israeli military announced a brief suspension on Sunday of “military activities” in the city of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, for “humanitarian purposes.” 

The pause took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time (3 a.m. to 7 a.m. ET) Sunday, according to an IDF spokesperson. 

At the southern part of Rafah city is the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt– the only crossing in and out of Gaza that is not controlled by Israel, making it the sole option for foreigners trying to leave the besieged enclave.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it carried out military operations at two neighborhoods in Gaza City’s to “identify and destroy Hamas infrastructure and assets.”

“During the operations, the soldiers located approximately 35 tunnel shafts as well as a large number of weapons and eliminated terrorists,” the IDF said in a statement Sunday. 

The military also said that it carried out a raid on the homes of senior Hamas officials in al-Rimal, the city’s once vibrant business district and social epicenter.

“Embedded in the Rimal area are the residences of senior Hamas officials, who took control of the buildings in the area to conduct and direct terrorist activities,” the IDF said.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has said 31 neo-natal babies have been evacuated from Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza.

The PCRS said in a short statement Sunday that its ambulance crews, working alongside the World Health Organization and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), were “able to evacuate 31 premature babies from Al-Shifa Hospital.”

“They were transported by Red Crescent ambulances to the south, in preparation for their transfer to the Emirates Hospital in Rafah,” the statement said.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza confirmed the evacuation.

Dr. Medhet Abbas, a spokesman for the ministry, told CNN in a message Sunday that “30 premature babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza by the United Nations team.”

It is unclear why the ministry’s figure differed from that given by the PCRS – the WHO earlier said there were 32 babies remaining at Al-Shifa.

The hospital and its immediate vicinity have seen heavy shelling in the past week, and it has been unable to run incubators for the babies for lack of fuel. Several neo-natal babies in Al-Shifa have died.

Israeli airstrikes and shelling hit south Lebanon on Sunday, the country’s National News Agency reported.

The network said Al-Tayba and Al-Qal’iya, in the eastern sector of the border area, as well as Al-Naqoura ad Al-Labouba in the west, were among the places shelled, and said there had been an airstrike Sunday morning near Aita Al-Shaab in the western sector.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that air defense fighters successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon. It said IDF aircraft had destroyed infrastructure belonging to the militant organization Hezbollah.

“In addition, about ten launches of mortar bombs were detected towards a peaceful area that fell in an open area [near Shlomi]. The IDF is attacking the source of the shooting in Lebanese territory,” it said.

The IDF later said more suspicious “aerial targets” had crossed the border from Lebanon on Sunday, but said no injuries were reported.

Isreal’s warning: Intense shelling and exchanges of fire have taken place almost daily along the border for weeks, with Hezbollah acting in solidarity with Hamas and Israeli officials pledging to repel the militant group’s strikes. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Lebanese armed group earlier this week “not to test Israel,” saying that it would be the “mistake of their lives.”   

Tents and shelters used by displaced Palestinians stand at the yard of Al Shifa hospital during the Israeli ground operation around the hospital, in Gaza City, on November 12.

The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health has said there are plans to evacuate more than 30 neo-natal babies from Al-Shifa hospital in northern Gaza on Sunday.

A spokesperson from the ministry told CNN that the World Health Organization, using ambulances of the Palestinian Red Crescent, planned to carry out the evacuation of the babies on Sunday, adding that they were waiting for Israeli military bulldozers to open the way.

The WHO told CNN that it could not confirm the evacuation would take place but Richard Brennan, the WHO emergency director for the Eastern Mediterranean region, said that the agency was working on a detailed plan with partners including the Palestine Red Crescent and the UN relief agency in Gaza, UNRWA, as well as UNICEF.

“I can’t go into details on that plan right now but we hope to have some more encouraging news later in the day,” Brennan told CNN. He added that moving the babies was a major priority.

After an assessment mission led by WHO that visited Al-Shifa Saturday, the agency said that “over the next 24–72 hours, pending guarantees of safe passage by parties to the conflict, additional missions are being arranged to urgently transport patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex and European Gaza Hospital in the south of Gaza. Patients include 32 babies in extremely critical condition.”

Brennan also told CNN: “We expect to have a series of convoys over the coming days to bring patients down to two main hospitals in the south, the European hospital and Nasser hospitals.”