Israeli troops swarmed the entrance to a major hospital in the northern Gaza Strip on Friday, trapping more than a dozen medical staff inside and bringing one of the last functioning hospitals to a virtual halt, according to a doctor and Palestinian news media.
For several days, the Israeli army has been bombarding the area around Beit Lahia Kamel Adwan Hospital, which is located near the northernmost tip of the area. According to Dr. Eid Saba, director of the hospital’s nursing department, Israeli army tank units advanced toward the northern entrance of the hospital, cutting off traffic to the hospital.
“The hospital is under siege now, so it has to be closed temporarily,” said Dr. Saba, who was at the hospital on Thursday. He said many patients were receiving kidney dialysis on Thursday, but they also left before the military cut off access. “The military has reached the hospital entrance,” he said.
Two days before the closure of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the Israeli military ordered Aida Hospital near JabaliaAnother large medical center in northern Gaza was evacuated on Wednesday and then raided. About 30 people remained there, including medical staff and critically ill patients who could not be evacuated. Gaza officials said Israeli forces destroyed the gate and damaged equipment.
The Israeli military has repeatedly besieged and attacked hospitals in Gaza, claiming that Hamas, the militant group that launched the first attack on Israel on Oct. 7, was using the hospitals as shields, with its fighters operating inside the hospitals and in tunnels beneath them. Hamas and hospital administrators have denied the claims.
The Israeli military has given journalists a tour of one of the hospitals that was raided and provided documents it said supported its allegations against Hamas and the hospital, but those allegations have not been independently verified.
Israeli bombing and ground force raids have left many hospitals in Gaza closed or partially operational. Nearly 500 medical workers have been killed in seven and a half months of fighting, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and Israeli forces have detained dozens.
Israeli Army Besieged and attacked In December, Kamel Adwan Hospital was attacked and its director detained. Shifa Hospital in Gaza City is the largest hospital in the region and has been attacked three times during the war.
When asked on Friday about the military deployment at the hospital, the Israeli military said it “does not comment on the deployment of its troops.”
Dr. Saba said there were still 15 to 20 doctors and nurses at Kamal Adwan Hospital, but no patients.
“They know there are medical personnel inside,” he said of the Israeli military. “We have not been told if there will be a raid, but it could happen at any time.”
Earlier this week, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said On social media Kamal Adwan was reportedly hit four times, while the ICU, reception, administration and roof were damaged.
“Intense hostilities have reportedly taken place in the vicinity of the hospital over the past few weeks, resulting in an influx of additional injured patients into the already overwhelmed facility,” Tedros wrote.
Israeli troops have returned to previously occupied areas of northern and central Gaza, saying fighters from Hamas and other groups have returned, and health officials say Israel has renewed its offensive, killing and wounding dozens of people.
Fighting in the north has meant that many Palestinians who had previously fled the area but have since returned have been forced to flee again, as have those who have remained in the area throughout the war, often living in shelters.
