The Daily Star Ireland
Israeli forces have reportedly stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, setting parts of the facility on fire and forcing dozens of patients and hundreds of others to evacuate. This incident is part of ongoing conflict in the region, with Israeli airstrikes also resulting in the deaths of at least 25 people in Gaza, including 15 in a single household in Gaza City.
The Palestinian health ministry has lost contact with staff inside Kamal Adwan Hospital, located in Beit Lahiya, which has been under significant pressure from Israeli forces. The ministry’s director, Munir Al-Bursh, confirmed that the Israeli military is inside the hospital and has set it ablaze. Israeli authorities stated they tried to minimize civilian casualties and facilitated the evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel prior to their operation. They accused Hamas fighters of using the hospital as a base during the conflict.
Deputy Health Minister Youssef Abu El-Rish reported that Israeli forces targeted the hospital’s surgical department, laboratory, and a storage area. Similar attacks have occurred at the nearby Indonesian and Al-Awda hospitals, which have also faced repeated assaults by Israeli forces.
Israeli forces have ordered 350 people, including 75 patients, their companions, and 185 medical staff, to leave Kamal Adwan Hospital and relocate to a nearby school sheltering displaced families. Soldiers are reportedly transferring patients and medical staff to the Indonesian Hospital, which had already been heavily damaged and evacuated by Israeli forces earlier.
Videos circulating on Palestinian and Arab media, although not immediately verified, show smoke rising from the Kamal Adwan Hospital area. Much of the surrounding regions, including Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya, have been cleared and razed, leading to speculation about Israel’s intentions to maintain a buffer zone after the conflict.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of five medical staff, including a pediatrician, at Kamal Adwan Hospital. While the Israeli military stated they were unaware of any strike on the hospital, they promised to investigate the reports of the deaths.
Hamas has held Israel and the United States responsible for the fate of those in the hospital. The war in Gaza has claimed over 45,300 Palestinian lives, displaced most of the 2.3 million population, and left much of Gaza in ruins. This conflict erupted following Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages to Gaza.
In another development, Israeli jets targeted seven crossing points along the Syria-Lebanon border to cut off weapon supplies to Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces also seized a truck carrying a rocket launcher and other weapons in southern Lebanon. Major General Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli Air Force, stated that Hezbollah’s attempts to smuggle weapons into Lebanon to challenge Israel’s response capabilities would not be tolerated.
Despite a ceasefire agreement on November 27 requiring Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah to dismantle military facilities south of the Litani River, both sides have accused each other of violations. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon has called for Israeli forces to withdraw, citing repeated breaches of the ceasefire.
Israel continues its operations against Hezbollah and other militant groups in the region, including recent attacks on the Houthi movement in Yemen.
