Gaza official says strikes on hospital 'terrifying'
Published: 04:12 PM,Dec 23,2024 | EDITED : 08:12 PM,Dec 23,2024
People and rescuers inspect the carcass of a bus hit by an Israeli strike which led to casualties, in the Mawasi area. — AFP
GAZA: An official from one of only two functioning hospitals in northern Gaza said on Monday that Israeli forces were continuing to target his facility and urged the international community to intervene before 'it is too late.' Hossam Abu Safiyeh, director of Kamal Adwan hospital in the city of Beit Lahia, described the situation at the medical facility as 'extremely dangerous and terrifying' owing to shelling by Israeli forces. An Israeli military spokesman denied that the hospital was being targeted. 'I am unaware of any strikes on Kamal Adwan hospital,' he said.
Safiyeh reported that the hospital, which is currently treating 91 patients, had been targeted on Monday by Israeli drones. 'This morning, drones dropped bombs in the hospital's courtyards and on its roof,' said Safiyeh in a statement. 'The shelling, which also destroyed nearby houses and buildings, did not stop throughout the night.' The shelling and bombardment have caused extensive damage to the hospital, Safiyeh added. 'Bullets hit the intensive care unit, the maternity ward and the specialised surgery department causing fear among patients,' he said, adding that a generator was also targeted. 'The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displace the people inside. 'We face a constant threat every day. The shelling continues from all directions... The situation is extremely critical and requires urgent international intervention before it is too late,' he said.
On Sunday, Safiyeh said he received orders to evacuate the hospital, but the military denied issuing such directives. Located in Beit Lahia, the hospital is one of only two still operational in northern Gaza. The area has been the focus of an intense air and ground campaign by Israeli forces since October 6, aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Most of the dead and injured from the offensive are brought to Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals.
The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, particularly in the north, since the latest military offensive began. Rights groups have consistently appealed for hospitals to be protected and for the urgent delivery of medical aid and fuel to keep the facilities running. Israeli officials have accused Hamas fighters of using the hospitals as command and control centres to plan attacks against the military. Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,259 people, a majority of them civilians, according to the territory's health ministry, figures the UN says are reliable.
Just 12 trucks distributed food and water in northern Gaza in two-and-a-half months, aid group Oxfam said on Sunday, raising the alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory. The Israeli authorities rejected the report, saying it was 'deliberately and inaccurately' ignoring their humanitarian efforts. 'Of the meager 34 trucks of food and water given permission to enter the North Gaza over the last 2.5 months, deliberate delays and systematic obstructions by the Israeli military meant that just twelve managed to distribute aid to starving Palestinian civilians,' Oxfam said in a statement, in a count that included deliveries through Saturday. 'For three of these, once the food and water had been delivered to the school where people were sheltering, it was then cleared and shelled within hours,' Oxfam added. — AFP
Safiyeh reported that the hospital, which is currently treating 91 patients, had been targeted on Monday by Israeli drones. 'This morning, drones dropped bombs in the hospital's courtyards and on its roof,' said Safiyeh in a statement. 'The shelling, which also destroyed nearby houses and buildings, did not stop throughout the night.' The shelling and bombardment have caused extensive damage to the hospital, Safiyeh added. 'Bullets hit the intensive care unit, the maternity ward and the specialised surgery department causing fear among patients,' he said, adding that a generator was also targeted. 'The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displace the people inside. 'We face a constant threat every day. The shelling continues from all directions... The situation is extremely critical and requires urgent international intervention before it is too late,' he said.
On Sunday, Safiyeh said he received orders to evacuate the hospital, but the military denied issuing such directives. Located in Beit Lahia, the hospital is one of only two still operational in northern Gaza. The area has been the focus of an intense air and ground campaign by Israeli forces since October 6, aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Most of the dead and injured from the offensive are brought to Kamal Adwan and Al Awda hospitals.
The United Nations and other organisations have repeatedly decried the worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, particularly in the north, since the latest military offensive began. Rights groups have consistently appealed for hospitals to be protected and for the urgent delivery of medical aid and fuel to keep the facilities running. Israeli officials have accused Hamas fighters of using the hospitals as command and control centres to plan attacks against the military. Israel's retaliatory military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,259 people, a majority of them civilians, according to the territory's health ministry, figures the UN says are reliable.
Just 12 trucks distributed food and water in northern Gaza in two-and-a-half months, aid group Oxfam said on Sunday, raising the alarm over the worsening humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory. The Israeli authorities rejected the report, saying it was 'deliberately and inaccurately' ignoring their humanitarian efforts. 'Of the meager 34 trucks of food and water given permission to enter the North Gaza over the last 2.5 months, deliberate delays and systematic obstructions by the Israeli military meant that just twelve managed to distribute aid to starving Palestinian civilians,' Oxfam said in a statement, in a count that included deliveries through Saturday. 'For three of these, once the food and water had been delivered to the school where people were sheltering, it was then cleared and shelled within hours,' Oxfam added. — AFP