Gaza: The Israeli military has forcibly evacuated Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of northern Gaza’s last remaining functional hospitals, after a series of airstrikes reportedly killed dozens in the area.
Medics confirmed the evacuation, saying that, the military gave the hospital administration just 15 minutes to evacuate patients and staff into the courtyard. Israeli troops then entered the hospital and began removing the remaining patients.
The Israeli military stated that it was conducting an operation in the area, which it labelled a “Hamas terrorist stronghold.” It also claimed to have facilitated the evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel before beginning the operation, but did not specify where the patients would be relocated.
Earlier in the week, an Israeli official indicated that the patients would be moved to the nearby Indonesian hospital, which had itself been evacuated by the military.
Dr Yousef Abu-Al Rish, Gaza’s deputy health minister, later reported that some seriously ill patients had been transferred to the Indonesian hospital, but he noted that the hospital is not functional due to a lack of generators and water. The Dr said that, “You can’t call it a hospital, it’s more of a shelter.”
This morning’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital has put this last major health facility in North #Gaza out of service. Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid.
60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition,… pic.twitter.com/bD5eJgnVkR
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 27, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that the raid on Kamal Adwan hospital had put the facility out of service, with key departments severely damaged by fire and other destruction.
Earlier, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital’s director, reported that around 50 people, including five medical staff, had been killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting the hospital’s vicinity.
The airstrikes included an attack on a building opposite the hospital, killing a paediatrician, a lab technician, and their families, as well as a maintenance technician who was killed while rushing to the scene.
Additionally, two paramedics were killed by a separate strike while 500 meters away from the hospital, with their bodies left in the street as no one could retrieve them.
The Israeli military said it was unaware of strikes near Kamal Adwan hospital and was investigating reports of staff fatalities. The hospital, located in Beit Lahia, has been under a tightening blockade imposed by Israel since October. The UN has described the area as being under a “near-total siege,” with humanitarian aid severely restricted.
In recent days, hospital administrators have issued desperate calls for protection as the facility has become a regular target of Israeli shelling and airstrikes.
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