Israeli war crimes: More bombed hospitals, infants freeze to death

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
29 Dec 2024 20:38
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The Israeli occupation's genocide in Gaza has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, with hospitals like al-Wafaa targeted in airstrikes recently, prompting Hamas to once again label the attacks as war crimes and demand international intervention.

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Imam Islam Abu Suaied prays over the bodies of two babies before their burial at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Sunday, December 29, 2024. (AP)

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that "Israel's" genocidal aggression on Gaza since October 7, 2023, has killed at least 45,514 martyrs and wounded 108,189 others.

Additionally, a Palestinian infant in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip reportedly "froze to death" after an Israeli airstrike on Al-Wafaa Hospital killed at least seven people, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense agency.

The agency stated on Sunday, "Seven martyrs and several injured people, including critical cases, have been recovered following the Israeli strike on the upper floor of Al-Wafaa Hospital in central Gaza City."

The hospital, which was partially operational due to previous attacks, has been providing care to patients with physical disabilities.

Munir al-Barsh, the Director General of Gaza’s Health Ministry, explained, "The hospital had been rehabilitated and was getting ready to receive patients. Had it not been targeted by Israeli shelling today, it would have been ready to fully reopen in the next few days."

Hamas condemned the attack on hospitals as war crimes. In a statement, the Palestinian Resistance movement declared, "The Zionist airstrike on al-Wafaa Hospital and artillery shelling on al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City are war crimes."

Hamas also criticized the international community’s inaction, calling for UN observers and protective measures for hospitals. It further accused "Israel" of committing genocide and systematically destroying civilian infrastructure, especially targeting hospitals, doctors, and medical personnel, in crimes that have persisted for over 15 months.

Kamal Adwan Hospital director detained by IOF in Gaza

The Health Ministry in Gaza warned on Saturday of a "countdown" until the deaths of patients and the injured that have been forcibly transferred to the Indonesian Hospital, where no water, power, food, or supplies are available, amid the detention of its medical staff as well, making it almost impossible for patients to get the medical treatment they need.

The ministry confirmed that patients at the Indonesian Hospital endured a harsh night, describing their situation as "extremely dire and deplorable." It noted that the occupation forces had previously destroyed the hospital’s infrastructure before forcibly evacuating patients there.

Consequently, the ministry urgently appealed to all relevant institutions and organizations to find a solution for patients at the hospital.

The ministry also reported that occupation forces have detained the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya. On Friday, the ministry stated that the occupation had taken dozens of medical staff, including Abu Safiya, to an interrogation center following the burning of the hospital.

In an alarming escalation, the IOF launched an airstrike in the vicinity of the hospital after storming its premises and forcibly displacing 300 patients. Many of these patients, who were dependent on life-saving medical devices, were left in the open, exposed to the harsh cold, further endangering their fragile health.

The director of field hospitals at the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Marwan al-Hams, told Al Mayadeen at the time that the IOF continued to besiege Kamal Adwan Hospital and burn it, calling the hospital "the last operating hospital in the northern Gaza Strip."

Additionally, al-Awda Hospital has been subjected to direct targeting by the occupation for over 80 days, while Gaza province faces a severe shortage of hospital bed capacity, as confirmed by the ministry yesterday.