Israeli forces on Friday, December 27, set fire to parts of the facility of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, one of northern Gaza’s last functioning hospitals, after ordering evacuations and detaining some patients and medical staff.
Photos circulated on Palestinian and Arab media showed smoke rising from the area of Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the hospital’s head, said in an Instagram story that the Israeli army was “burning all the operating departments in the hospital” while medical staff was still present inside. He added that some of the staff had also been arrested.
According to health sources cited by the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Israeli forces forced medical staff, patients, and companions to remove their clothes in the extreme cold and transport them to an unknown place outside the hospital.
The video published by Quds News Network showed dozens of Palestinians, half-naked and wearing only their underwear, walking in front of Israeli military vehicles and tanks.
In a video statement on X, Dr Muneer al-Bursh, the director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that, “This attack on the Kamal Adwan Hospital marks a disgrace on the forehead of humanity as a whole, on international organisations, and on the entire Arab nation. This hospital remained steadfast until the last moment and continued to serve and deliver its message.”
The Palestinian presidency has condemned the “serious crime” of burning a hospital, citing it as a violation of international law and conventions, the Wafa News Agency reported.
Gulf countries condemn
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have condemned the Israeli forces’ burning of a Gaza hospital and the forced removal of patients and medical staff.
The actions constitute a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and the most fundamental humanitarian and ethical norms, said a statement by the foreign ministry of the three countries.
They called on the international community to “work urgently to provide protection for hundreds of patients, wounded and medical staff at Kamal Adwan Hospital, and to compel the occupation authorities to stop their plan to forcibly evacuate it.”
The raid comes after an Israeli airstrike that hit a building opposite the hospital on Thursday, December 26, killing approximately 50 people, including five medical staff, according to the Health Ministry.
Israel launched a massive ground offensive in northern Gaza on October 5 to prevent Hamas’ regrouping, while Palestinians accuse Israel of occupying and forcibly displaced its residents.
Since then, the Israeli army has been besieging Kamal Adwan, using fire from “quadcopter” aircraft and advancing around the hospital.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after Hamas infiltrated southern Israel, sending fighters, firing 5,000 rockets, and taking hostages, which prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of “a long and difficult war.“
Since then, Israel has been launching a devastating offensive on Gaza, despite a UN Security Council resolution requesting an immediate cease-fire.
In Gaza, 45,436 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 108,038 others injured. The majority of the 2.3 million-strong population has been displaced, and much of Gaza is currently in ruins.
On the Israeli side, about 1,200 people have been killed and more than 250 hostages taken.
