The Israeli army carried out a search operation at the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, asking more than a hundred patients trapped there to move to the central courtyard. This action occurs amid a harsh Israeli offensive that, according to Palestinian sources, has left over 700 dead and thousands displaced in the region in the last three weeks.
The Kamal Adwan is one of the few hospitals still operational in the north of the Strip. The Al Jazeera network reports, citing Gaza's Civil Defense, that around 150 patients and medical staff are trapped in the center. The hospital has been previously attacked, resulting in the destruction of vital medical equipment, such as an oxygen station.
The Gaza Ministry of Health has described the situation at the hospital as "catastrophic," denouncing that Israeli forces have detained hundreds of people, including patients, medical staff, and displaced individuals, without access to food or medication. Furthermore, it is reported that Civil Defense vehicles have been directly attacked and the only ambulance left in the area has been destroyed by Israeli artillery.
Meanwhile, attacks in the Jabalia refugee camp have caused approximately 150 deaths, according to local authorities. There have been reports of rescue services being unable to access the area due to the Israeli siege. Israel claims to have killed more than 200 militants in this new offensive in northern Gaza.
The Gaza Civil Defense has urgently called for international help to save the Kamal Adwan hospital and criticized global inaction regarding what they call "genocide" and the destruction of the healthcare system in the region. On the other hand, Palestinian social media disseminates reports of detentions of men in the hospital, as well as unverified images showing men in underwear and handcuffed in front of soldiers.
The COGAT agency reported that it facilitated the transfer of 23 patients, mostly minors, from Kamal Adwan to other hospitals in Gaza. Fuel and blood units were also supplied to the medical center. Amid the escalation of violence, emergency medical services in northern Gaza have been severely affected, with hospitals under siege and ambulances being targeted by Israeli attacks for more than twenty days.
