CAIRO: Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Friday, ordering the evacuation of dozens of patients and hundreds of others, leaving part of the hospital on fire, according to health ministry officials. The raid occurred amid ongoing Israeli strikes that killed at least 25 people, including 15 in a single house in Gaza City, emergency services reported.
The Palestinian health ministry reported losing contact with staff at the Beit Lahiya hospital, which has been under pressure from Israeli forces for weeks. βThe occupation forces are inside the hospital now and they are burning it,β said Munir Al-Bursh, ministry director.
The Israeli military claimed it had tried to minimize civilian harm and had facilitated the evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical staff before the operation, but did not provide specific details. The military also stated that Hamas fighters had used the hospital as a stronghold throughout the war.
Youssef Abu El-Rish, Hamas-appointed deputy health minister, said Israeli forces set fire to the surgical department, laboratory, and storehouse of the hospital. The Israeli military, however, said there was a small fire in an empty building, which was under control and did not result from their fire.
The Kamal Adwan Hospital, like the Indonesian and Al-Awda hospitals, has been repeatedly targeted during Israelβs attacks on the northern Gaza Strip. Health ministry officials reported that the Israeli army ordered 350 people to evacuate the hospital, including patients, medical staff, and their companions, transferring them to a nearby school shelter.
Footage from Palestinian and Arab media showed smoke rising from Kamal Adwan. The northern towns of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya have been cleared and razed, raising concerns that Israel may seek to maintain the area as a closed buffer zone after the conflict.
Israel maintains that its operations are aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping and securing control of Gaza post-conflict. Health officials in Gaza reported that over 45,300 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing conflict, with much of Gaza destroyed and its population displaced.
