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Gaza's Al-Shifa Hospital at Center of Israel-Hamas Battle Zone
(Wall Street Journal) Omar Abdel-Baqui - Israeli forces said they were engaged in fierce fighting Saturday around Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel contends that beneath the complex is a Hamas command center. Israeli military officials said on Saturday that the east side of the hospital complex remained open and that the IDF could coordinate with any who wanted to leave safely. The officials denied reports that Israel was surrounding and attacking the hospital. "There is no shooting at the hospital and there is no siege," said Israeli Col. Moshe Tetro. Most of the more than 50,000 people who had been sheltering at the hospital complex fled on Friday. IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israeli personnel were in touch with hospital staff to arrange the transfer of premature babies from the hospital, at the request of the staff. Israel, which repeatedly told Palestinians to evacuate, made another call for civilians to move south on Saturday, issuing a map urging residents to move along a north-south road near the coast that passes close to Al-Shifa Hospital. Israel said 200,000 people have fled northern Gaza since Thursday. "We have been calling for civilians to evacuate for four weeks now, while Hamas did everything in its capability to prevent civilians from leaving in order to keep them as human shields," an Israeli spokesman said.