Israel-Hamas War, Day 38: Major Gaza Hospital Faces 'Catastrophic' Fuel Shortage; IDF Strikes Hezbollah In Lebanon After Rocket Attacks

The situation in Gaza remains critical with major hospitals out of service and a deepening health crisis, 38 days after the onset of Hamas’ attacks, while escalating military activities at the Israel-Lebanon border stoke fears of a broader regional conflict.

• Dire conditions in Gaza hospitals: The situation in Al-Shifa hospital, Gaza’s main medical facility, is described as "catastrophic" by its director Mohammad Abu Salmiya in an interview with the CNN. The hospital, currently sheltering around 7,000 people plus 1,500 patients and medical staff, is struggling with collapsing essential units. The hospital has requested 600 liters of fuel hourly from the Israeli army for its generators, but there’s been no response yet. The Israeli military, however, stated that it placed 300 liters of fuel at the hospital’s entrance, stating that Hamas is blocking its delivery.
  
• Rising casualties and power cuts: Al Jazeera reports increasing casualties among patients at al-Shifa Hospital. The Gaza health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf Al-Qidra, cited 32 deaths in the past three days, including three newborn babies, due to the hospital’s siege and power shortages.
  
• IDF strikes on Hezbollah at the Israel-Lebanon border: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has reported conducting strikes on multiple Hezbollah locations in southern Lebanon. This action comes as a response to a series of rocket, missile, and mortar attacks launched against northern Israel on Monday.
  
• Netanyahu’s efforts to release hostages: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, emphasized Israel’s continuous efforts to secure the release of over 200 hostages held by Hamas.
  
• U.S. concerns over civilian casualties, humanitarian assistance: Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security adviser, expressed the Biden administration’s concerns to Israel regarding potential civilian casualties in any military operation targeting Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, believed to be a Hamas command center, as reported Monday by the Times of Israel. Meanwhile, U.S. State Secretary Anthony Blinken spoke with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani about expanding humanitarian assistance in Gaza and ensuring safe passage for foreign nationals and the critically wounded.

• US targets Iran: According to the New York Times, the United States carried out airstrikes late Sunday against targets in eastern Syria associated with Iran and its proxies. This action was in response to recent attacks on American troops, as confirmed by Pentagon officials on Sunday.

Market Reactions

The Israeli shekel (ILS) traded flat on Monday, after two consecutive sessions of losses.

The Tel Aviv 125, Israel's primary stock index, fell 1%, marking its fourth straight session of losses.

The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust SPY closed 1.6% higher on Friday, while the tech-heavy Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ rallied 2.3%.

Photo: Shutterstock