On Saturday, health authorities in Gaza reported that Israeli military forces had detained the director of a northern Gaza hospital, forcibly evacuated patients and medical personnel, and severely damaged the facility. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the hospital was rendered inoperable after an Israeli airstrike.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health, governed by Hamas, confirmed the detention of Hossam Abu Safiyeh, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, along with dozens of medical staff members. The health ministry’s statement also noted that these individuals were taken to a detention center for interrogation.
The Gaza Civil Defense Agency echoed these reports, highlighting that Abu Safiyeh was among those detained. The agency’s northern director, Ahmed Hassan Al-Kahlout, was also arrested during the raid. Mahmud Bassal, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense, condemned the attack, claiming that Israel had effectively destroyed the medical and civil defense infrastructure in northern Gaza. He emphasized that this action had rendered these essential services completely ineffective, depriving the population of critical support.
The Israeli military, on the other hand, stated that the operation was aimed at Kamal Adwan Hospital because it allegedly served as a significant base for Hamas operatives. However, Palestinian officials from Hamas vehemently denied these claims, insisting that no militants were present within the hospital during the raid and accusing Israeli forces of storming the facility without justification.
WHO rebuked the move
The WHO also condemned the attack, revealing that the hospital’s operations had been severely disrupted. In an official statement on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the organization confirmed that the Israeli military’s raid had incapacitated the northern Gaza hospital. According to the WHO, key departments of the hospital, including its surgery section, had been destroyed by fire, leaving it non-functional. The raid also resulted in significant damage to the hospital’s infrastructure, further exacerbating the region’s already fragile healthcare system.
In addition to the destruction of the hospital, reports indicated that Israeli forces had removed medical staff from the building, forcing them to disrobe before being taken to an undisclosed location. This move has sparked outrage globally, as Kamal Adwan Hospital is one of the few remaining operational healthcare facilities in the northern Gaza Strip, which has been severely impacted by ongoing conflict.
Saudi Arabia also condemned Israel’s hospital raid
Saudi Arabia joined the international outcry over the Israeli actions. On Friday, the Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement condemning the burning of the hospital and the forced evacuation of its staff and patients. The statement described these actions as blatant violations of international humanitarian law and basic human rights. Saudi Arabia underscored that such acts contravene the ethical and legal standards governing armed conflict and medical neutrality.
The Israeli military’s justification for the raid rested on claims that Hamas militants had used the hospital as a stronghold. However, hospital officials strongly rejected these allegations, affirming that the facility was solely dedicated to providing medical care to those in need, including civilians caught in the ongoing conflict. The incident has raised significant concerns about the protection of medical facilities and personnel during armed conflicts, with humanitarian organizations calling for immediate international intervention to prevent further harm to civilians in Gaza.
This attack underscores the increasingly precarious situation for healthcare workers and patients in Gaza, who are facing both direct violence and the collapse of vital medical services amidst the continuing conflict.
