DUBAI, November 20. /TASS/. The Israeli army besieged an Indonesian hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip and opened fire from tanks, the Al Jazeera TV channel reported.

According to the channel, Israeli tanks "positioned themselves around the Indonesian hospital and opened fire on the building." As a result of the shelling, there are fatalities and casualties among the patients and medical staff.

Earlier, Israeli troops were reported to have fired heavy artillery shells at the Indonesian hospital. The Lebanese Al Mayadeen TV channel reported that at least eight people were killed as a result of the shelling, the hospital's surgical unit was completely destroyed, and all the generators providing electricity to the medical facility were out of order.

It is known that at the moment that at least 150 wounded patients and about 100 doctors remain in the Indonesian hospital. The building is also home to refugees who have found shelter there.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking hostages, including women, children and the elderly. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.