Islamabad: Israeli troops have stormed and burnt one of the last hospitals in northern Gaza.
The territory’s Health Ministry said Israel’s military has taken dozens of Kamal Adwan Hospital staff, including director Hussam Abu Safia, into custody.
However, the fate of many patients remains unknown after troops forcibly cleared the medical facility.
The Israeli military said Hamas fighters were using the hospital as a base, although it did not provide evidence.
“Last health facility out of service”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reacted to the attack saying the raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital had put the last major health facility in North Gaza out of service.
“60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including those on ventilators, reportedly remain in the hospital,” WHO said in a statement.
This morning’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital has put this last major health facility in North #Gaza out of service. Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid.
60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition,… pic.twitter.com/bD5eJgnVkR
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) December 27, 2024
It also said patients in moderate to severe conditions were forced to evacuate to the destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital. “WHO is deeply concerned for their safety,” it added.
“The systematic dismantling of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care,” the world health body said.
60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including those on ventilators, reportedly remain in the hospital.” – WHO said in a statement.
The situation in the region is dire and the locals are in need of immediate assistance.
International reaction
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “barbaric aggression”, describing the attack on the facility as the latest example of a “war crime, crimes against humanity, and an egregious violation of international law and its norms”, Al Jazeera reported.
The ministry’s spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a statement that torching the last major operational healthcare facility in the north of the besieged enclave came with the goal of “complete destruction of the healthcare system in Gaza”.
The Israeli attacks are part of an “ongoing genocide in occupied Palestine”, Baghaei said.
“The silence of relevant international institutions regarding this crime is unjustifiable and makes them internationally responsible,” he said.
