The Israeli occupation military carried out intense artillery shelling near the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, setting the intensive care unit on fire, Al Mayadeen's correspondent in occupied Palestine reported.

Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital director, said, "We were shocked by the entry of [military] vehicles and bulldozers into the hospital vicinity, preceded by terrifying attacks on nearby homes."

He indicated that the hospital was suddenly and recklessly targeted with all kinds of weapons, with a deliberate and clear assault on the intensive care unit.

"We managed, miraculously, to evacuate patients who were on ventilators from the ICU before it caught fire," Abu Safiya added, noting that this is the only intensive care unit in northern Gaza.

Describing the situation as "very catastrophic and still dangerous," he pointed out that hospital staff attempted to extinguish the flames using basic tools, as the facility had been suffering from a water shortage for eight days due to Israeli attacks on water tanks and the supply network.

Abu Safiya confirmed that the intensive care unit is now out of service and the situation is disastrous, adding, "We appealed to the world over 75 days ago for protection for the healthcare system and its workers, but to no avail."

🌐 شاهد | مدير مستشفى كمال عدوان الدكتور حسام أبو صفية يتحدث عن استهداف الاحتلال للمشفى واشتعال النيران في قسم العناية المركزة pic.twitter.com/EbhJ24zdF4

— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) December 18, 2024

Al Mayadeen's correspondent also reported casualties resulting from Israeli airstrikes on homes near Kamal Adwan Hospital.

He said that the Israeli occupation launched heavy bombardments on Jabalia and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, killing at least 10 Palestinians. Rescue teams have been unable to reach dozens of bodies and injured individuals, our correspondent noted.

In southeastern Gaza City, Israeli artillery targeted the al-Zaytoun neighborhood, while occupation forces heavily fired at the al-Sudaniya area in the northwest of Gaza City.

Meanwhile, the destruction and bulldozing operations by Israeli forces continue in the al-Zaytoun and al-Fallah areas south of Gaza City.

Ongoing casualties in central, southern Gaza

In the same context, two people were killed and others injured in an Israeli drone strike on a tent sheltering displaced individuals in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.

In southern Gaza, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported the arrival of a martyr at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis due to ongoing Israeli bombardment on Rafah.

Yesterday, a woman was killed and others injured in an Israeli strike targeting tents of displaced individuals in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis.

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