Bodies to be buried within al-Shifa hospital without Israeli approval

Over 100 bodies at al-Shifa hospital will be buried within the compound without Israeli approval because the accumulation has caused an acute sanitary crisis, sources at the hospital have told Reuters. 

"We are planning to bury them today in a mass grave inside the Al Shifa medical complex. It is going to be very dangerous as we don't have any cover or protection from the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), but we have no other options, the corpses of the martyrs began to decompose," said Palestinian health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra. "The men are digging right now as we speak."

The hospital is completely under siege with no one able to go in or out. Intense fighting is taking place just metres away from the facility.

Without cover from the ICRC, Palestinian medics fear they may be shot by Israeli snipers if they attempt to bury bodies.

Ahmad Mukhallati, a senior surgeon at the hospital, said the bodies were generating an unbearable stench and posing a risk of infection.

"Unfortunately there is no approval from the Israelis to even bury the bodies within the hospital area," he said.

"Today ... civilians started digging within the hospital to try and bury the bodies on their own responsibility without any arrangements by the Israeli side.

"Burying 120 bodies needs a lot of equipment, it can't be by hand efforts and by single person efforts. It will take hours and hours to be able to bury all these bodies."

Mukhallati told Middle East Eye on Monday that al-Shifa could no longer help its patients after running out of electricity, water, food and fuel.