IOF storming of Al-Maamadani Hospital forces complete shut down

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
19 Dec 2023 20:16
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Despite reports of dozens of martyrs in the streets due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, Al-Maamadani Hospital can no longer admit patients.

A Palestinian girl wounded in the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip receives treatment at a hospital in Khan Younis on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Mohammed Dahman)

The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) on Tuesday stormed the Al-Maamadani Baptist Hospital and rendered the last medical establishment in Northern Gaza out of service, further straining the already choked-up healthcare system in the embattled Strip.

The head of the hospital's orthopedic surgery department Fadel Naeem informed AFP that all medical operations have been suspended following the Israeli forces' incursion and the arrest of several doctors, nurses, and injured civilians.

Despite reports of dozens of martyrs in the streets due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, Al-Maamadani Baptist Hospital can no longer admit patients. Naeem revealed that four individuals succumbed to injuries sustained during the Israeli aggression on the previous day.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza has strongly criticized the international community's silence regarding the atrocities committed by the IOF in northern Gaza. The closure and destruction of hospitals have severely aggravated the delivery of healthcare services and once again prove "Israel's" apparent disregard for the well-being of the civilian population.

The World Health Organization reported that Al-Maamadani Hospital was the last and sole partially operational healthcare facility in northern Gaza, with Shifa, Awda, and Sahaba Hospitals functioning at a limited capacity.

This latest aggression comes after a series of attacks on healthcare facilities, including the forcible evacuation of wounded individuals from Kamal Adwan Hospital and the reported bombing of the Sahaba Center, the only operational maternity ward in Gaza.

As the Israeli aggression on Gaza enters its 74th consecutive day, the IOF continues its intense shelling of various areas, causing a worsening humanitarian crisis in the region.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has reported a staggering rise in the number of martyrs to 19,667 and the wounded to 52,586 since October 7, underscoring the urgent need for international intervention to address the escalating tragedy in Gaza.