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Rabat – The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned an Israeli raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, describing it as the end of “the last major health facility” in the region.
The raid severely damaged key departments, leaving the hospital out of service and endangering the lives of patients and healthcare workers. Initial reports indicate that 60 health workers and 25 critically ill patients, including those on ventilators, remain trapped inside the facility.
The WHO expressed grave concern over the safety of patients evacuated to the Indonesian Hospital, which has also been rendered non-functional due to the ongoing conflict. The agency highlighted that this attack follows increasing restrictions on access for WHO and its partners, as well as repeated assaults on or near the hospital since early October.
The WHO warned that the systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure is a death sentence for thousands of Palestinians in urgent need of medical attention.
In a separate report, Gaza’s health ministry stated that Israeli forces detained Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, and dozens of medical staff members, including Ahmed Hassan al-Kahlout, the director of the civil defense agency for northern Gaza.
“The occupation has completely destroyed the medical, humanitarian, and civil defense systems in the north, rendering them useless,” said Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the civil defense agency.
Since October 6, Israel has intensified its ground and air operations in northern Gaza, citing efforts to prevent Hamas fighters from regrouping.
Before launching the operation near the hospital, the army stated that its troops had “facilitated the safe evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical staff” from the facility.
However, according to Hamas, “the occupation army stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, forcing medical staff, patients, the injured, and displaced individuals to evacuate.” In a statement, Hamas accused Israeli forces of “detaining the evacuated individuals.”
The international community continues to express alarm over the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with healthcare facilities being systematically targeted, depriving vulnerable populations of the medical support they desperately need.
