(WASHINGTON, D.C., 11/15/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Israeli assault on Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital and said the United States gave Israel the “green light” for the attack.
Israeli troops have entered the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. “Bombardment. Shooting around the hospital and within the hospital. It’s really horrible. You can feel that it’s very near to the hospital. And then we realized that the tanks are moving around the hospital,” Doctor Ahmed El Mokhallalati told Reuters by phone.
Israeli snipers reportedly targeted those attempting to escape the hospital as their troops advanced. Premature babies in the intensive care unit were reportedly taken off incubators and relocated as Israel struck the hospital’s solar panels. Six premature babies and nine injured patients at the hospital’s ICU reportedly died due to the outage.
The World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Israel’s assault on Al-Shifa hospital was “deeply concerning.” Total numbers of killed and wounded are still unknown.
The White House claimed on Tuesday that it has intelligence showing Hamas has used hospitals in Gaza, including the Al-Shifa Hospital, “to conceal and to support their military operations and to hold hostages.”
SEE: Comments about Israeli advance on Al Shifa and other Gaza hospitals
US says it has intelligence Hamas has used Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital to hold hostages
In a statement, CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper said:
“By brazenly attacking a besieged hospital, the Israeli government has shown that there is no limit to the human rights abuses it will commit as long as the Biden administration continues to give Benjamin Netanyahu a blank check.
“Through its statements and actions, our government gave the Israeli government the green light for this latest crime against humanity. This violence must stop. Our government must end its support for Netanyahu’s genocidal government, demand an immediate ceasefire, and then pursue a just, lasting peace. How many more hospitals must be bombed and how many more newborn babies must die before President Biden tells Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘Enough?’”
Hooper noted that yesterday, CAIR called on the Biden administration to condemn the now open call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza by top Israeli officials.
SEE: CAIR Calls on Biden Administration to Condemn Open Calls for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza by Top Israeli Officials
This week, CAIR welcomed an internal State Department dissent memo accusing President Biden of “spreading misinformation” about Israel’s attacks on the Palestinian people and stating that Israel is committing “war crimes” in Gaza.
Over the weekend, CAIR called on the Biden administration to urgently intervene to stop the Israeli government’s ongoing siege of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza.
CAIR said the Biden administration shares the blame for the latest Israeli massacre of Palestinian civilians sheltering at a school in Gaza and for its attacks targeting hospitals in Gaza.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR called a threat by the Israeli government to bomb a children’s hospital in Gaza “pure barbarism” and reiterated its call on the Biden administration to demand an immediate ceasefire. CAIR also condemned the shooting of Palestinian woman at a checkpoint by Israeli forces and Israeli airstrikes on South Gaza.
[NOTE: Almost 100,000 Americans have used CAIR’s action alert to contact their members of Congress and call for an end to the violence and the renewal of U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation. SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence]
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-999-8292, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com