Israeli forces raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, ordering dozens of patients and hundreds of others to evacuate, leaving parts of the facility ablaze, according to Palestinian Health Ministry officials.
The hospital, located in Beit Lahiya, is one of three medical facilities on Gaza’s northern edge and has been under heavy pressure from Israeli forces for weeks.
Elsewhere in Gaza, Israeli strikes reportedly killed at least 25 people, including 15 individuals in a single house in Gaza City, according to medics and the civil emergency service.
Palestinian Health Ministry officials stated that contact with staff inside Kamal Adwan Hospital had been lost. “The occupation forces are inside the hospital now, and they are burning it,” said Munir Al-Bursh, the ministry’s director, in a statement.
The Israeli military claimed it had tried to limit harm to civilians and had “facilitated the secure evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel prior to the operation,” but did not provide further details.
Youssef Abu El-Rish, the Hamas-appointed deputy health minister, accused Israeli forces of setting fire to the hospital’s surgical department, laboratory, and a storehouse.
In a statement published by the official news agency WAFA, the Palestinian presidency condemned the Israeli action as a “serious crime” and a flagrant violation of international law and conventions that require protection for the medical sector and personnel during wars.
The presidency called on international health institutions to activate agreements to protect medical personnel, patients, and the injured.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on Friday that its troops initiated the operation against Kamal Adwan Hospital following intelligence indicating the presence of “terrorist” infrastructure and operatives in the vicinity of the hospital, located in Jabalia in northern Gaza.
“Kamal Adwan Hospital serves as a Hamas stronghold in northern Gaza, from which terrorists have been operating throughout the war,” the IDF claimed, adding that despite a targeted operation in October, the hospital had resumed serving as a hideout for “terrorists.”
Hamas denied the presence of its militants in the hospital. “We categorically deny the presence of any military activity or resistance fighters in the hospital,” Hamas stated.
“The enemy’s lies about the hospital aim to justify the heinous crime committed by the occupation army today, involving the evacuation and burning of all hospital departments as part of a plan for extermination and forced displacement.” Hamas urged the United Nations to establish an investigation committee “to examine the scale of crime being committed in northern Gaza.”
Much of the area around the northern towns of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya has been cleared of residents and systematically razed, fueling speculation that Israel intends to keep the area as a closed buffer zone after the fighting in Gaza ends.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
