Witnesses to Israeli strike on Gaza hospital compound saw 'so many people burning'

Warning: This communicative contains specifications which immoderate group whitethorn find upsetting

Witnesses to an Israeli aerial onslaught and resulting occurrence astatine a shelter campy successful a Gaza infirmary compound person shared pinch nan BBC their scary and helplessness astatine seeing group injured and killed successful nan flames.

One mother called it “one of nan worst scenes we’ve witnessed”, while an injured woman said she heard screaming arsenic group tore down their shelter to get them out. A man said he had "broken down" arsenic he was "unable to do anything" to thief those who burned to death.

The onslaught deed nan al-Aqsa Hospital compound successful Deir al-Balah, cardinal Gaza, successful nan early hours of Monday, igniting a occurrence that burned makeshift shelters for displaced people.

At slightest 4 group were killed and dozens injured, mostly women and children, according to nan Hamas-run wellness ministry.

The BBC has verified nan location of a video that shows what appears to beryllium a personification connected fire. Other footage captures group rushing to extinguish nan flames amid screams and explosions sending fireballs into nan nighttime sky.

The Israeli subject said it had targeted Hamas fighters operating wrong a bid centre successful nan car park, aft which a occurrence collapsed retired "likely owed to secondary explosions". The subject said nan incident was nether review.

Charity Doctors without Borders (MSF), which has unit moving astatine al-Aqsa, told nan BBC “it had nary knowledge“ of a Hamas centre and said “the infirmary functions arsenic a hospital”.

The UN's humanitarian affairs agency said successful a connection that “people burned to death” and “atrocities must end”, while a spokesperson for nan White House National Security Council called nan footage “disturbing”.

"The images and video of what look to beryllium displaced civilians burning live pursuing an Israeli aerial onslaught are profoundly disturbing and we person made our concerns clear to nan Israeli government,” nan spokesperson told nan BBC’s partner CBS.

“Israel has a work to do much to debar civilian casualties — and what happened present is horrifying, moreover if Hamas was operating adjacent nan infirmary successful an effort to usage civilians arsenic quality shields.”

Witnesses said nan onslaught happened astatine astir 01:15 section clip connected Monday (23:15 BST connected Sunday).

It deed an area betwixt buildings filled pinch makeshift shelters, adjacent to an outdoor outpatient waiting area that had nary 1 location astatine night, Anna Halford, MSF's emergency coordinator successful Gaza who was not astatine nan infirmary during nan strike, said successful a telephone telephone from Deir al-Balah.

Hiba Radi, a mother who was surviving successful a shelter down nan hospital, told a BBC freelancer successful Gaza she woke up to nan sound of “explosions and fires erupting astir nan tents”.

“There were explosions everywhere, and we were shocked astatine whether this was state aliases weapons,” she said.

“This is 1 of nan worst scenes we've witnessed and lived through," she added. "We’ve ne'er seen demolition for illustration this before. It’s hard, really hard.”

Atia Darwish, a photographer who recorded immoderate of nan verified videos, told nan BBC it was a “big shock” and he was “unable to do anything” watching group burn.

“I was truthful surgery down,” he said.

Um Yaser Abdel Hamid Daher, who besides lives astatine nan hospital, told nan BBC “we've seen truthful galore group burning that we started emotion for illustration we mightiness pain for illustration them”.

The injured included her son, and his woman and children. Her granddaughter Lina, 11, who had shrapnel successful her manus and limb injuries, said she had heard group screaming.

”Our neighbour’s girl was injured successful her caput and her dada was killed. And our different neighbours were killed. The group adjacent to america tore down nan shelter to get america out,” she said.

Her grandma said nan family “lost their shelter and everything they had; they person thing left”.

The wellness ministry reported connected Monday that much than 40 group were injured and 4 killed.

MSF connected Tuesday shared a higher toll, saying 5 group had died, their bodies burned by nan clip they were recovered, and 65 injured.

Forty of nan injured - 22 men, 8 women and 10 children - stayed astatine al-Aqsa. The others were transferred to different hospitals, pinch 8 going to a master burns unit.

Ms Halford said her colleagues were treating burns victims ”who will almost surely not survive", saying “there is very small you tin do for pain victims of that severity”.

“You travel location pinch nan smell of it connected your clothes. It's a viscerally affecting experience. It stays pinch you,” she said.

Monday’s onslaught was nan seventh connected nan infirmary tract since March, and nan 3rd successful 2 weeks, Ms Halford said.

When she arrived astatine nan infirmary aft nan astir caller hit, she said she recovered group picking done twisted metallic and burned debris to salvage immoderate belongings.

Another mother nan BBC said to whose children suffered burns injuries had already evacuated from northbound Gaza - and now has nothing.

The acting main of nan UN’s Office for nan Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said nan onslaught occurred successful an area wherever northbound Gaza residents had been told to relocate.

“There really is nary safe spot successful Gaza for group to go,” nan connection read.

Additional reporting by Haneen Abdeen