Gaza Hospital Left with Single Doctor After Israeli Raid, IDF Reports 100 Arrests

Just a single physician is left at Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital after an Israeli raid lasting several days, according to a spokesperson for the health ministry administered by Hamas. Dr Khalil Daqran, in a video address, appealed to international bodies to dispatch medical personnel to the facility located in the northern part of the strip, stating that patients were succumbing to blood loss due to inadequate medical attention. Israel announced on Monday that its forces had apprehended approximately 100 “terrorists” at the hospital prior to their departure. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that the hospital, situated within Jabalia refugee camp, had been utilized by Hamas – assertions that local health officials refuted. Mr Daqran stated: “Two days ago, the army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, causing widespread destruction: setting large parts on fire, destroying the hospital’s entrances, and demolishing surrounding walls. “Patients and medical staff were assaulted, with many patients and companions arrested, along with most of the medical staff. “The fate of 30 medical personnel remains unknown.”The army has removed the hospital from service entirely, destroying all its contents. There are now no medicines, medical supplies or food within the hospital.” The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) verified the conclusion of a “precise operation against a Hamas terrorist stronghold” at the hospital. The IDF reported implementing measures to reduce civilian harm and aiding in the hospital’s evacuation. Furthermore, it mentioned that soldiers discovered weapons, currency, and documents associated with Hamas during the operation. According to the IDF, certain Hamas militants, including individuals connected to the 7 October attacks of the previous year, had posed as medical personnel. Health officials reported that the Israeli operation resulted in injuries to medical staff and fatalities among patients at the facility. The Israeli military released a video claiming to depict the questioning of an ambulance driver formerly employed at Kamal Adwan Hospital. The video, whose veracity the BBC could not confirm, shows the purported driver’s face obscured. The individual states that Hamas militants conducted activities within the hospital. He asserts that Hamas utilized ambulances for transporting militants to their operations and further stated: “We have had enough. [Hamas] are stationed in the hospitals, stationed in the schools.” A worsening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the northern Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are enduring progressively dire circumstances. Mr Daqran remarked: “Conditions in northern Gaza are catastrophic: there is no water, food or baby formula. Infrastructure has been decimated, sewage and waste are piling up among the residents, leading to the spread of disease and epidemics.” Volker Türk, the UN human rights chief, stated on Friday that “the Israeli military is subjecting an entire population to bombing, siege and risk of starvation”. “The Israeli government’s policies and practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to atrocity crimes, including potentially extending to crimes against humanity,” Mr Türk further commented. He also deemed it unacceptable that Palestinian armed factions were reportedly active amidst civilians, including within shelters for displaced persons, thereby endangering them. Numerous Palestinians hold the belief that the Israeli military is executing the so-called “Generals’ Plan” in the northern region. This plan would entail the compulsory relocation of all an estimated 400,000 civilians from that area to the south, succeeded by a blockade of any remaining Hamas combatants. The Israeli military has refuted the existence of such a plan, asserting its efforts to ensure civilians are moved away from danger. Israel initiated a campaign aimed at dismantling Hamas following the group’s unparalleled assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, an event where approximately 1,200 individuals lost their lives and 251 others were abducted. Since that time, over 42,000 individuals have died in Gaza, as reported by the territory’s health ministry.