Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, North Gaza, forcing out staff, patients, and displaced Palestinians who had sought shelter there. Most were allowed back, but some were turned away, according to hospital director Hossam Abu Safiya.
Prior to the storming, airstrikes and heavy shelling targeted the hospital area, resulting in what Abu Safiya claims are hundreds of casualties. Access for humanitarian workers remains severely restricted due to the ongoing siege by Israeli troops since early October.
The Gaza Health Ministry, led by Hamas, labeled the incident a war crime, accusing Israel of committing violence inside and outside the hospital. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported no warning from Israel before the storming, and the hospital now operates at minimal capacity, as stated by WHO representative Rik Peeperkorn.
An Indonesian medical team that arrived last week to support hospital staff also had to leave, with the hospital lacking available surgeons. The hospital was previously attacked, resulting in the death of a 16-year-old boy in a wheelchair by an Israeli drone strike, with twelve others injured.
The Israeli military has not commented on these attacks. Israel’s stated objective in North Gaza is to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
Source: NOS