Horrific scenes unfold at Kamal Adwan Hospital after Israeli invasion
5 Min Read
Since the early days of the genocide, "Israel" has consistently targeted medical facilities in Gaza, a pattern documented by various international human rights organizations.
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The body of 18-month-old Sham Shurrab is carried by her uncle for burial in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at the al-Mawassi camp, outside the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, December 5, 2024. (AP)
Early this Friday morning, Israeli units stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, forcibly evacuating medical staff and patients and detaining a large number of individuals present at the hospital, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent reported.
The abductees, including medical staff, were taken to an undisclosed destination.
The Israeli occupation committed another massacre in the early hours of this morning in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan hospital, causing the martyrdom of at least 30 Palestinians in northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/STXytrzLIX
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) December 6, 2024
The head of Kamal Adwan Hospital Hussam Abu Safiya released a statement detailing the atrocities unfolding inside the hospital and in its vicinity.
Describing the situation inside and around the hospital as “catastrophic”, Abu Safiya maintained that there are scores of casualties, including four martyrs from the hospital's medical staff.
“No surgeons are left,” he further warned, adding that "the only medical team that was performing operations was the Indonesian medical delegation, and they were the first to be forced to leave toward a checkpoint."
“Medical supplies are running out, and there are hundreds of victims,” he said, reflecting on the size of the tragedy.
Detailing the series of events, he said, “At first, there were a series of airstrikes on the northern and western sides of the hospital, accompanied by heavy and direct fire, which fortunately did not result in any injuries inside the hospital.”
“Then we were surprised by two people entering the hospital carrying a loudspeaker, ordering me to evacuate all patients, displaced persons, and medical to the hospital yard and forcibly take them out to the checkpoint," Abu Safiya continued.
He also said he was asked to secure one escort for each patient and displaced person to help with the evacuation, only to describe how in the morning, they woke up to hundreds of dead bodies and wounded individuals in the streets surrounding the hospital.
“The oxygen generators were targeted at night, and now there are only two inexperienced surgeons available to operate on patients,” Abu Safiya further detailed, adding that they were forced to start operations despite their lack of experience, as there were 20 wounded individuals who needed urgent care.
The medical chief called on human rights organizations and international institutions to take action now to save whatever can be saved as a result of the “repeated war crimes that have become a daily routine for the occupation.”
Simultaneously, Israeli forces demolished a residential block near the hospital, resulting in the killing of at least 30 Palestinians and injuring dozens more. The explosion also caused extensive damage in the area.
No indication of a warning before bombing of Gaza hospital: WHO
The United Nations' health agency has no indication that a warning was issued before "Israel's" bombing early on Thursday of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, the World Health Organisation's regional representative said.
The fact that the attack on the hospital had occurred just a week after Israeli authorities had facilitated the entry of an Indonesian emergency medical team to the hospital was particularly concerning.
"Within one week, they feel forced, scared, whatever, to leave," WHO's Rik Peeperkorn told a UN Geneva briefing by video link. "That is extremely concerning and should never happen."
The hospital was currently "minimally functional", he added.
Hamas demands investigation
For its part, Hamas called on the World Health Organization to send an international committee to investigate the atrocities unfolding at Kamal Adwan Hospital and the entire health system in Gaza.
Commenting on the aggression on the hospital, Hamas called it an insistence by the Israeli occupation on the "campaign of ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, as well as the criminal destruction of all means of life in the northern Gaza Strip, especially hospitals."
For nearly two months, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been under a strict siege by invading Israeli units, which have blocked the entry of medical supplies, food, staff, and ambulances, effectively preventing the hospital from operating normally.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, condemned the targeting of the hospital, where an Israeli bombardment killed a 16-year-ola patient and a 32-year-old man, and injured Baraa al-Fireh, head of the cleaning company. Despite his own injuries, Dr. Abu Safiya… pic.twitter.com/aixiXUmmYI
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) December 5, 2024
Hussam Abu Safiya has earlier confirmed that Israeli forces directly targeted the facility, resulting in casualties among both patients and staff. He emotionally expressed the gravity of the situation, stating, "Martyrs and wounded are still present in the vicinity of the hospital."
The Israeli occupation forces forced the Indonesian medical delegation to leave Kamal Adwan Hospital and the northern Gaza governorate, compelling them to relocate to Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/lB4cjMNZ72
— Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) December 6, 2024
In addition to the brutal Israeli aggression on Kamal Adwan Hospital, Israeli forces forcibly expelled an Indonesian medical delegation that was providing assistance at the facility. After storming the hospital, the IOF ordered the delegation to leave, disrupting the vital medical support they were offering to patients amid the escalating Israeli carnage.
The Israeli genocide continues
In the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli forces also destroyed residential areas in eastern Jabalia, with reports of more martyrs and numerous individuals still missing due to the bombing of homes in Beit Lahia and Jabalia.
Concurrently, Israeli naval vessels targeted Gaza City’s coastline with gunfire. Israeli artillery shells hit the eastern parts of the Maghazi refugee camp and the village of al-Masdar in central Gaza.
"3 شهداء من جراء قصف للاحتلال الإسرائيلي استهدف مجموعة من المواطنين في خربة العدس شمال مدينة رفح جنوب قطاع غزة".
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) December 6, 2024
مراسل الميادين أحمد غانم.#الميادين #فلسطين #غزة pic.twitter.com/xolcXMrR8F
Meanwhile, Gaza Civil Defense teams retrieved the bodies of three Palestinians who were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Khirbat al-Adas, northern Rafah.
This comes after the death toll from the Israeli war rose to 44,580 martyrs and 105,739 wounded, according to the latest figures released by the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023.
