Gaza [Palestine], December 29: Israel's army has detained the director of one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza, as the World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated its call for hospitals in the bombarded Palestinian enclave to be protected.
In a statement on Saturday, the WHO said Kamal Adwan Hospital was "now empty" after the Israeli military raided the facility and forced out dozens of medical staff and patients.
"Yesterday evening, the remaining 15 critical patients, 50 caregivers and 20 health workers were transferred to Indonesian Hospital, which lacks the necessary equipment and supplies to provide adequate care," the United Nations health agency said.
"The movement and treatment of these critical patients under such conditions pose grave risks to their survival. WHO is deeply concerned for their wellbeing, as well as for the Kamal Adwan Hospital director who has been reportedly detained during the raid." The WHO said it lost contact with the director, Hussam Abu Safia, since the raid began.
The Israeli military said it launched the raid on Kamal Adwan - which, as of Friday morning, housed about 350 patients and medical staff - because the hospital "serves as a Hamas terrorist stronghold".
Israel did not provide any evidence to back up its claim, and Hamas, the Palestinian group that governs Gaza, said it "categorically" denied the allegation.
Gaza health officials said earlier on Saturday that Israeli forces had taken Abu Safia, along with dozens of other hospital staff members, "to a detention centre for interrogation". The Israeli military later confirmed that Abu Safia was among those detained for questioning. His exact whereabouts are unknown.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza had earlier quoted Abu Safia as saying the military had "set on fire all surgery departments of the hospital" and that there were "a large number of injuries" among the medical team.
The raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital comes amid a renewed Israeli ground offensive in northern Gaza, which began in October. Israel has imposed a siege on the area, severely curtailing deliveries of humanitarian aid to Palestinians there.
The WHO said it also documented "escalating restrictions on access and repeated attacks" on the health facility since early October. "WHO calls for urgently ensuring that hospitals in North Gaza can be supported to become functional again," the agency said in Saturday's statement.
"Hospitals have once again become battlegrounds, reminiscent of the destruction of the health system in Gaza City earlier this year." Israel's military has claimed that the hospital had become "a key stronghold for terrorist organisations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives".
Before initiating the latest attack on Kamal Adwan, the Israeli military said its soldiers had "facilitated the secure evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel".
Hamas denied its fighters were present in the hospital and urged the UN to set up an investigation committee "to examine the scale of crime being committed in northern Gaza".
"We categorically deny the presence of any military activity or resistance fighters in the hospital," Hamas said in a statement. Al Jazeera's Hamdah Salhut said the Israeli military has often accused Hamas fighters of operating from medical facilities but has never provided evidence for its claims.
"Most notable was the raid on al-Shifa Hospital back in 2023 when the military said Hamas was using al-Shifa as a command and control centre, claims that to this day have never been proven," she said.
"Now, Kamal Adwan was the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza, but again, it was barely functioning because of the siege that was put forward by Israeli forces - a siege on food, water, and all sorts of medical supplies."
Source: Ǫatar Tribune 12
