UN plans mission to Gaza's al-Shifa hospital to assess post-Israeli pullout

The UN has announced its plans to send a mission to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza following a 14-day Israeli raid.

Providing information on the situation in Gaza, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the UN is "planning a mission to the hospital as soon as we can get there to help people receive medical attention and to assess the state of the hospital."

The decision to send a mission came after reports that Israeli forces vacated the hospital.

At least 21 patients died at al-Shifa since it came under siege, said Dujarric, citing the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Asked about permission to carry out the mission to the hospital, Dujarric said, "we're trying to ensure that we have all the security guarantees that we need, including the permission from the Israeli government."

Earlier on Monday, Israel announced that it has withdrawn from Gaza's largest health complex, al-Shifa Hospital, and its surroundings after its two-week-long raids there which had begun on March 18.

Extensive destruction

According to eyewitnesses, the Israeli army withdrew from inside the al-Shifa Hospital and the surrounding areas west of Gaza City, leaving scores of casualties and extensive destruction in the hospital and its vicinity.

Israeli forces also burned the buildings of the kidney and maternity wards, mortuary refrigerators, and cancer and burn facilities, and destroyed the outpatient clinic building, according to the witnesses.

According to Palestinian medical sources, the hospital is now completely out of service and the army destroyed all medical equipment in the complex, operation rooms, and intensive care units.

The hospital was previously raided on November 16 after it was besieged for one week when its courtyards, parts of its buildings, medical equipment and the power generator were destroyed.