Israeli attacks force key hospitals in Gaza to shut down
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The North Gaza governorate, which previously had three functioning public hospitals—Kamal Adwan, Beit Hanoon, and the Indonesian Hospital—now has none in service.
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A Palestinian woman reacts over the body of a child as she sits by bodies of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes on the Jabalia refugee camp, at the Indonesian hospital, northern Gaza Strip, November 18, 2023. (AP)
The Gaza Health Ministry announced on Saturday that another major hospital in northern Gaza has been rendered inoperational due to "Israel's" actions. The Indonesian Hospital, located in Beit Lahia, "no longer provides any services to patients or the wounded," according to a statement from the ministry.
On Friday, Israeli forces surrounded the hospital, which had been sheltering many displaced Palestinians, and demanded the immediate evacuation of all patients and staff. The North Gaza governorate, which previously had three functioning public hospitals—Kamal Adwan, Beit Hanoun, and the Indonesian Hospital—now has none in service. Beit Hanoun Hospital also received an evacuation order on Saturday.
Recent footage circulating online shows Israeli tanks positioned next to the Indonesian Hospital, suggesting the facility is being used as a military headquarters.
Footage obtained today shows the Israeli military using the Indonesian Hospital as a military HQ.
— Younis Tirawi | يونس (@ytirawi) December 27, 2024
The hospital, which used to be a key medical facility in northern Gaza, now serves as an IDF HQ, where soldiers operate and hide behind, after expelling doctors inside & killing… pic.twitter.com/Ko24WA0Ahi
In addition to these closures, "Israel's" military issued a similar order to al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, warning staff and patients to leave immediately or face the bombing of the facility, along with all the people inside. Reports indicate that 65 staff members and 36 patients are currently inside the hospital.
صورة للمرضى المحاصرين
— همام يونس الزيتونية 𓂆 (@HAMMAM_PAL) January 3, 2025
داخل المستشفى الأندونيسي في شمال غزة
بعد منع دخول الغذاء إليهم, وتهديدهم بسرعة الخروج منها. pic.twitter.com/K3ufcfSY2A
Gaza's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, exacerbated by continuous attacks on medical facilities. Last week, Kamal Adwan Hospital was destroyed in what the ministry called a "barbaric" raid. Israeli forces forcibly removed patients and staff before setting the building ablaze.
Both the Indonesian and al-Awda Hospitals have sustained damage due to persistent strikes since October 2023, further crippling healthcare services in the besieged enclave. The closures and evacuations leave Palestinians with increasingly limited access to essential medical care amidst the ongoing genocide.
Read more: Palestinian UN envoy urges action to halt genocide in Gaza
On Friday Palestine's Ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, made an urgent appeal to the UN Security Council, calling for immediate action to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Speaking at a meeting on the Middle East, Mansour emphasized the international community's collective responsibility to stop the violence.
"It is our collective responsibility to bring this hell to an end. It is our collective responsibility to bring this genocide to an end," Mansour stated, urging council members to act decisively.
