TRANSCRIPT
A World Health Organisation official based in Cairo says nearly half of Gaza's healthcare facilities are not functioning, while the rest are operating way below their capacities.
Palestinian officials say two babies have died and dozens more patients were at risk from an Israeli siege around Gaza's largest hospital Al-Shifa on Saturday.
Regional Emergency Director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, Rick Brennan, says there have been nearly 120 attacks on hospitals in the city of Gaza alone.
"The situation in the hospitals is absolutely desperate, 50 percent of those hospitals are non-functioning right now. Those that are functioning are working well well well below their capacity because of a lack of fuel, a lack of medicine, a lack of water, and a lack of necessary medical supplies. Doctors and nurses are completely exhausted and overwhelmed and a number of hospitals are under attack. We've heard that Al Shifa hospital has sustained five attacks over the last 24 to 36 hours, as well as one of the paediatric hospitals and others. So, it is a desperate situation, one that none of us have ever faced before."
However, an Israeli Defence Force spokesperson said Israeli forces are not firing on Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City but did confirm there are clashes with Hamas militants around it.
IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari has said that the east side of the hospital was open for anyone who wants to evacuate safely.
"There has been a lot of misinformation from Gaza, so I wanna clarify the facts. There is no siege - I repeat, there is no siege on the Shifa hospital. The east side of the hospital is open on "Elwadi" street for the safe pass of Gazans who wish to leave the hospital. We're speaking directly and regularly with the hospital staff."
Israel says doctors, patients and thousands of evacuees who have taken refuge at hospitals in northern Gaza must leave so it can tackle Hamas gunmen who it says have placed command centres under and around them.
Hamas has denied using hospitals in this way.
Medical staff such as Dr Ahmed Mokhallalati, one of the few doctors remaining at Al-Shifa, say patients could die if they are moved.
“The current situation is... since last night, they bombed continuously at Al Shifa hospital and the surrounding areas. Last night, they started directly attacking and targeting the hospital. They started by bombing the hospital late evening yesterday, in front of the emergency department, and then the front of the emergency department and then the outpatient clinic and then the hospital building which ended up being destroyed. And now the hospital is totally out of service.”
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has gathered Arab and Muslim leaders for a a joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh as the kingdom has sought to exert its influence to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza.
The leaders have called for an immediate end to military operations in Gaza, rejecting the justification of the war as Israeli self-defence.
Prince Mohammed affirmed the kingdom's absolute rejection of what he described as a "barbaric war against our brothers in Palestine."
“We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe that demonstrates the failure of the Security Council and the international community to put an end to the flagrant Israeli violations of international laws and norms and international humanitarian law. It confirms the double standards and selectivity in its application (of these laws).”
Turkish president Reccep Tayyip Erdogan has called for an international peace conference to find a permanent solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
"We consider the international peace conference an important groundwork. Efforts must be taken to preserve the peace. We are ready to make the necessary efforts, including the proposal of acting as Palestine’s guarantor.”
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Richard Marles has condemned protests in the Melbourne suburb of Caulfield South, where pro-Israel and pro-Palestine groups faced off on Friday.
The clash sparked the evacuation of a nearby synagogue, which protest organisers have apologised for.
Further rallies in support of Palestine have been planned in Melbourne for today.
Mr Marles has called for greater social cohesion in Australia, describing the events in the Middle East as an unfolding tragedy.
"Clearly, people have a right to protest what's happening in the Middle East. What's happening in the Middle East is an unfolding tragedy. And people have a right to put pressure on their country's government, on us. But there shouldn't be demonstrations which are aimed at other members of the community and Jewish Australians, as all Australians, clearly have a right to feel safe within their country."
Pro-Palestinian rallies continue to take place in cities across the world, calling for an end to hostilities.
More than 300,000 people have marched through central London, in the city's largest pro-Palestinian rally to date.
British Ministers had called for the cancellation of the march, with Interior Minister Suella Braverman saying protesters were "hate marchers."
Josh Cohen, a representative of Na'amod, a movement of "British Jews against occupation", says Ms Braverman's comments have caused a lot of division.
"It's a shame because I don't know, what we're seeing here at this march is so many people being really grateful to see Jews here, loads of Jews really grateful to be part of a collective of other people. We're here trying to liberate everyone. Jewish freedom and Palestinian freedom are interrelated."
In the Spanish city of Barcelona, anti-riot police briefly clashed with about 2,000 pro-Palestinian protesters who stormed and momentarily occupied a commuter train station.
The protesters were part of a group of many thousands more who earlier took part in an authorized march against the war.
And in the Belgian capital of Brussels, authorities say more than 20,000 people gathered to show their support for the Palestinian people.
One protestor says the bombing of children must stop.
"I want to demand the ceasefire, I want to stop the bombing on the children. I have children with a disability, and I think it's important to let our voice be heard. We can't accept people being bombed and being murdered. That's my main issue. I want the world to hear our voice."
According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, over 11,000 people have lost their lives since the start of Israel's military operation in the area.
It comes after 1,200 people were killed and over 240 were taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7 raids near its southern border.
The Israeli authorities revised the death toll by 200 on Friday.
