The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed its shock and condemnation following an Israeli military raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, which it said severely damaged and partly destroyed the facility, the last major hospital still operational in the region. The WHO described the raid as part of Israel’s “systematic dismantling of the health system” and warned that the ongoing siege has put the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians still in northern Gaza at grave risk.
According to WHO reports, the raid caused extensive damage to several key hospital departments, including the surgical unit, the laboratory, the engineering and maintenance department, the operations theater, and the medical store. Some patients and staff were forcibly moved to nearby facilities, including the Indonesian Hospital, which had previously been damaged in earlier airstrikes. However, the WHO noted that the Indonesian Hospital lacks essential supplies, posing severe risks to the health of the remaining critical patients.
Local sources in Beit Lahia have confirmed that while many medical staff detained during the raid were later released, the hospital's director, Hussam Abu Safiya, remains missing. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed that the hospital was being used as a Hamas stronghold, accusing the hospital’s director of being a Hamas operative. However, this claim has been disputed by Hamas and local health authorities.
The WHO also reported that some of the medics detained during the raid were allegedly beaten and stripped, with some of the remaining hospital staff and patients reportedly forced to walk toward southern Gaza. The raid’s impact on Gaza’s already fragile health system has drawn widespread concern, especially as critical care patients were transferred under dangerous and inadequate conditions.
This incident has sparked growing international criticism, especially in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The UN has announced plans to send an emergency mission to the Indonesian Hospital to assist with the relocation of patients to southern Gaza, where medical facilities are under immense strain.
The Israeli government, while claiming that the operation was in line with international law, has faced increasing scrutiny over its treatment of civilians and the destruction of vital infrastructure in Gaza. Meanwhile, reports continue to emerge about the broader strategy behind Israel’s military operations in northern Gaza, which some analysts believe may involve plans to clear the region of its Palestinian population to make way for potential settlement expansions.
As the situation unfolds, the WHO has expressed deep concern for the safety of both the hospital’s staff and patients, as well as the broader implications for Gaza’s health system.
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