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An Israeli military raid on a Gaza hospital has put the last major health facility in the besieged northern enclave out of service, exacerbating a worsening humanitarian crisis in the enclave, according to the UN health agency.
The attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital came as Israel intensified its attack on northern Gaza, which began in October, killing hundreds of people and forcing tens of thousands to flee.
The Israeli military said it was fighting to prevent Hamas from regrouping in northern Gaza, where most residents were forced to flee during Israel's 14-month-old offensive against the Palestinian militant group.
The World Health Organization said initial reports indicate that main sections of the medical facility were severely burned and destroyed during the raid on Friday.
She said 60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including those on ventilators, remained in the hospital, while others had to be evacuated to another damaged hospital.
“The systematic dismantling of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care,” the World Health Organization said in a statement late Friday evening. “This horror must end and health care must be protected.”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said that the operations and surgery departments, laboratory, maintenance, ambulance units and warehouses belonging to Kamal Adwan “were completely burned.”
“The occupation army forcibly transports the sick and wounded at gunpoint. . . She added in a statement: “To the Indonesian hospital, which lacks medical supplies, water, medicines, and even electricity and generators.” “There are patients who are at risk of death at any moment as a result of the harsh conditions.”
The Israeli army said it began operations “in the area” of Kamal Adwan after intelligence information indicating that Hamas activists were using the hospital.
It added that its forces “are carrying out targeted operations in the region while mitigating damage to civilians, patients and non-participating medical personnel.” She said that her forces were not responsible for a fire in the hospital.
Hamas denied that its fighters were using the hospital for military activities.
UN agencies and humanitarian groups have repeatedly condemned Israel for attacking medical facilities in Gaza since it launched its attack on Hamas following the attack launched by the movement on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people.
The World Health Organization said it had verified 516 attacks on health facilities and medical transport in Gaza, adding that more than 90 percent of medical facilities in the Strip were either damaged or destroyed.
The Israeli attack on northern Gaza continues as mediators seek to reach an agreement to end the war and secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held in the Strip before US President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month.
This operation led to the transformation of Jabalia camp, which before the war was the largest refugee camp in Gaza and housing more than 100,000 people, into rubble, and expanded to include neighboring Beit Lahia, where Kamal Adwan Hospital is located.
The Israeli army said on Saturday that its forces had begun operations in the Beit Hanoun area.
The Israeli attack killed more than 45,000 people, according to Palestinian health officials, and forced the vast majority of the Strip's 2.3 million residents to leave their homes.
