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This week Israel bombed parts of Lebanon and Syria and vowed a punishing counterstrike on Iran. Israeli forces also intensified bombardment of Gaza. NPR's Aya Batrawy reports on the crisis in northern Gaza, where people are trapped and pleading for help. And a warning - this report includes graphic descriptions of war.
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HUSSAM ABU SAFIA: (Speaking Arabic).
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: In this video shot today, unconscious children with bloodstained head bandages are fighting for their life. The hospital's ICU is full of patients like this, including babies connected to life support machines following Israeli attacks. This is the only hospital in north Gaza with a specialized ward for children. The Israeli military is demanding its evacuation and has raided this hospital before.
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ABU SAFIA: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, says the children on ventilators could die being transferred, and he refuses to leave them behind. This is one of three hospitals in the north under Israeli evacuation orders now. But all of north Gaza's hospitals face collapse if they don't get fuel for generators. And aid groups say it's not just fuel that's been blocked. The World Food Programme told NPR no food aid has entered north Gaza for the past 10 days. The agency says it's distributing its last remaining food stocks in the north, where people are facing starvation.
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MATT MILLER: We are incredibly concerned about the humanitarian situation in all of Gaza and particularly concerned about the humanitarian situation in north Gaza.
BATRAWY: That's U.S. State Department spokesman Matt Miller speaking to reporters Wednesday. He says the U.S., which has backed Israel throughout its yearlong war in Gaza, has been making clear to Israel's government that they have an obligation under international humanitarian law to allow food, water and other assistance to reach all of Gaza.
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MILLER: And we fully expect them to comply with those obligations.
BATRAWY: Israel's military body responsible for civilian affairs in Gaza denies Israel has halted the entry of aid into northern Gaza but did not respond to NPR's request for further details. Israel's military says it's operating against Hamas militants who've regrouped in the north. It has besieged the town of Jabalia since Saturday, killing what it identified as more than 50 militants there on Wednesday alone. The military told people to evacuate Jabalia and only move south, but people say they're trapped. This is what it sounds like there.
FATMA DAAMA: (Speaking Arabic).
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DAAMA: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: The sound of gunfire from an Israeli drone was captured by Fatma Daama, a 37-year-old freelance journalist in Jabalia.
DAAMA: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: She tells NPR in voice messages that she was fired on by one of these drones standing at her front door, trying to get an internet connection. She says F-35 fighter jets have dropped bombs on her neighborhood, flattening entire buildings with people inside. Palestinian journalists have also been killed and wounded while reporting in Jabalia.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: The Al Jazeera news network was live from Jabalia when one of its cameramen, in a blue flak press vest, was shown lying motionless on the street. Al Jazeera says Fadi Alwahidi is in critical condition after being shot in the neck by Israeli troops while reporting Wednesday.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Speaking Arabic).
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking Arabic).
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BATRAWY: The military did not respond to NPR's request for comment. Israeli Army Radio reports there's still no plan for governing the north of Gaza. Israeli media have reported on plans being considered that include a full siege or military rule. The U.S. says a plan of continuous military operations in Gaza in perpetuity doesn't benefit Palestinians or serve Israel's long-term interests. Aya Batrawy, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SAM TOMPKINS SONG, "SEE ME") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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