Israeli Military Forces Patients and Staff to Leave Hospital in Northern Gaza
(Our tax dollars support this apartheid, colonial nation as it engages in ethnic cleansing, true disgrace.)
The hospital, Kamal Adwan, has been caught in the middle of Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military forced patients and staff members to leave one of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza on Friday.
The hospital, Kamal Adwan, has been caught in the middle of Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants in the northern part of Gaza, and fighting has raged around the facility for nearly three months.
In a statement, the Israeli military said that the hospital was a “stronghold” for Hamas, and that soldiers had evacuated medical staff and patients from the facility “in order to mitigate harm to the civilian population in the area.”
The Gaza health ministry said the Israeli military was forcing sick and wounded people to move to another nearby hospital, which it said lacked medical supplies, water and electricity.
“There are sick people at risk of dying at any moment as a result of the harsh conditions,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that Israeli military vehicles were surrounding Kamal Adwan hospital.
Alaa Okal, who was working as a nurse at the hospital, said in an interview that Israeli soldiers had told female medical workers and patients to leave Kamal Adwan, without immediately giving the same instruction to men.
She said she had left the hospital and was walking to Gaza City, southwest of the hospital.
Earlier on Friday, Gazan health officials said they were concerned about the safety of the Kamal Adwan’s staff.
“The fate of everyone at the hospital is unknown to us,” said Yousef Abu al-Rish, the deputy health minister in the territory, who is based in southern Gaza.
Israel has said the aim of its offensive in northern Gaza is to root out a regrouped Hamas presence in the area. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiyah, the director of Kamal Adwan, has said the hospital has been attacked many times since Israel’s offensive began on Oct. 6.
Israel’s military has repeatedly denied bombarding the hospital. Israeli officials have accused Hamas of exploiting Kamal Adwan and other civilian infrastructure in Gaza for military purposes.
While Dr. Abu Safiyah spoke about the situation at the hospital in a video posted to social media on Dec. 24, explosions could be heard in the background.
“All night, we are bombarded in this way,” he said. “We are being killed and slaughtered every day.”
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad and Abu Bakr Bashir contributed reporting.
Adam Rasgon is a reporter for The Times in Jerusalem, covering Israeli and Palestinian affairs. More about Adam Rasgon"
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