GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The Ministry of Health in Gaza issued an urgent appeal on Friday to protect hospitals in the Strip following renewed Israeli bombardment, which targeted Kamal Adwan Hospital last night.
The Ministry warned that all hospitals in Gaza would cease operations or severely reduce their services within the next 48 hours due to the Israeli obstruction of fuel entry and its support for looters who rob the aid convoys.
The statement read, “We reiterate our appeal to international and humanitarian organizations to ensure the protection of hospitals and health workers in Gaza, as guaranteed by international law.” The Ministry condemned Israel’s repeated and ongoing criminal attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital.
The Ministry highlighted that in the past few hours, Israeli forces targeted Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza again, resulting in injuries to six healthcare workers, some critically, requiring intensive care. It stressed that the Israeli military is deliberately targeting medical staff in northern Gaza, destroying hospitals, and shooting at medical personnel.
The attack also destroyed the hospital’s main generator and damaged water tanks, leaving the hospital without oxygen or water—a dire situation threatening the lives of patients and staff. The hospital currently houses 80 patients, including eight in intensive care.
The Ministry called on all international organizations to “act on the International Criminal Court’s decision to halt the genocide in Gaza.” It urged the immediate entry of fuel, medicine, and essential supplies into Gaza, the dispatch of medical teams, particularly to northern Gaza, and the continuation of hospital operations to provide critical humanitarian and medical services.
Earlier, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, confirmed that Israeli forces were targeting medical teams to empty northern Gaza of its residents. He said, “The occupation aims to dismantle the medical system, especially Kamal Adwan Hospital,” after drones dropped bombs on the hospital’s generators, injuring medical staff.
Hossam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the Israeli bombardment targeted a generator inside the hospital, causing damage to it. He added, “Our humanitarian duty compels us to stay in northern Gaza as long as there are patients and wounded. The direct targeting of the hospital and injuries among our staff is horrifying.”
For the 49th consecutive day, northern Gaza remains under relentless Israeli siege, coupled with severe food shortages, forced displacement, heavy aerial and artillery bombardment, and complete isolation from the rest of Gaza. International and UN organizations have described the situation as ethnic cleansing.
Israeli forces have also prevented ambulances from entering Jabalia Camp and Beit Lahia, destroying most operational vehicles in the area. This has forced volunteer rescuers to carry out evacuation efforts, attempting to transport the injured to Kamal Adwan or Al-Awda hospitals under catastrophic health conditions.
Since October 7, 2023, with U.S. backing, Israel has been waging a campaign of genocide in Gaza, killing and injuring over 148,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. More than 10,000 remain missing. The campaign has caused massive destruction and famine, resulting in the deaths of dozens of children and the elderly, marking one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes.
