The Israeli army entered the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, located north of Gaza, where more than a hundred people were trapped, asking patients to move to the central courtyard, according to the Palestinian official news agency, Wafa. The hospital is one of the few still operational in that area of the Gaza Strip, where over 700 people have died and thousands have been displaced in the last three weeks due to the intense Israeli offensive.
Al Jazeera, based on sources from the Gaza Civil Defense, reported that more than 150 patients and medical staff were trapped in the medical center. Witnesses reported that Israeli tanks fired at the hospital the previous day, destroying an oxygen station. The Gaza Ministry of Health described the situation in the hospital as "catastrophic in every sense," mentioning that hundreds of people lacked food and medicine.
The Gaza Civil Defense has made a desperate call for help to save the Kamal Adwan hospital, stating that patients, medical staff, and displaced persons are in grave danger. Multiple Palestinian channels on social media denounce the detention of men in the hospital, who are being questioned and taken away by armed soldiers.
During the previous night, the military body COGAT facilitated the transfer of 23 patients, mostly minors, from Kamal Adwan to other hospitals in Gaza, as well as delivering fuel and blood units for transfusions. The emergency medical situation in northern Gaza is critical, with continuous attacks on ambulances and medical centers, leading to the suspension of emergency services in the region.
The spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense denounced that emergency vehicles have been attacked and that the only remaining ambulance in the area was destroyed by Israeli artillery. According to Palestinian authorities, nearly 150 people died in a recent attack on the Jabalia refugee camp, while access for rescue services is hindered by the presence of Israeli troops. Israel has claimed to have killed more than 200 fighters in its new offensive in northern Gaza.
