The Israeli offensive has trapped patients in a shell-damaged Gaza hospital, the hospital's director said on Friday. "We were not able to evacuate all the patients, the staff can barely evacuate themselves at this point. It's a desperate situation," said Basman Alashi, the head of al-Wafa rehabilitation hospital in an eastern suburb. "The hospital has been hit many times."
Residents and medical officials reported heavy shelling along the eastern borders from the southern town of Rafah up to the north of the enclave. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel's military to prepare for a "significant expansion" of the ground operation that was announced on Thursday. Sirens had sounded in southern Israel earlier in the day at the end of the cease-fire requested by the United Nations, giving way to renewed Palestinian rocket salvos and Israeli bombing.
In-Depth
- Money, Desperation, Isolation: What's Behind Mideast Conflict
- 'Part of the Job': Israeli Fighter Pilots Describe Gaza Mission
- Where Does Hamas Get Rockets to Fire at Israel?
