Israeli forces arrest hospital director and staff in raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in Northern Gaza
image for illustrative purpose
Israeli forces have arrested the director and dozens of staff members of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last major functioning medical facility in northern Gaza. The raid, which occurred on Friday, left the hospital out of service, with witnesses and health officials reporting that patients, including those on ventilators, were still inside at the time of the attack. The Israeli military has yet to provide evidence for its claims of the presence of terrorist infrastructure at the hospital.
Hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya and other staff members were detained during the raid. Eyewitnesses reported that Dr. Safiya was assaulted before being arrested. The whereabouts of Dr. Safiya and his team remain unknown. In a social media post, Dr. Safiya described the situation as a siege, with Israeli forces ordering the hospital’s evacuation.
Staff and patients were ordered to leave the facility and gather outside. Once outside, they were separated by gender, and both men and women were reportedly forced to strip. Those who resisted were allegedly beaten. One nurse, Shorouq Saleh Al-Rantisi, stated that the staff and patients were kept outside for hours before being moved to the nearby Indonesian Hospital, which the World Health Organization has deemed "destroyed and nonfunctional."
In addition to the assaults, the Israeli forces allegedly interrogated staff individually inside a truck. Some patients said they were told to walk for hours to a nearby school, with many being forced to strip down to their underwear in the cold. Injured patients were reportedly beaten.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the operation was based on intelligence regarding the presence of terrorist operatives at the hospital, although no evidence has been provided to substantiate these claims. The IDF also said they helped evacuate patients and staff before the operation, but denied allegations of forced stripping or beatings.
A nurse from Kamal Adwan described a large fire that broke out in the hospital following Israeli strikes. Staff attempted to put it out using water from a kidney dialysis machine, but the water, mixed with chlorine and other chemicals, caused burns on their hands and faces. Tragically, one patient died in the blaze.
The WHO has reported that Israeli authorities denied access to Kamal Adwan for international medical teams despite the urgent need for surgical interventions. As a result, some patients were transferred to Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, including women, children, and people with special needs.
Among the patients transferred was Khaled Hazzaa, a man with special needs who arrived at Al Shifa Hospital with visible injuries and signs of abuse. His nephew confirmed they had not seen each other for over two months until Hazzaa was brought to the hospital. Another patient, Fatmeh Al Najjar, recounted how she arrived at Kamal Adwan after her house was hit in an Israeli airstrike, killing her son. During the raid, Al Najjar and others were interrogated before being transported to an unknown location and left to walk to safety.
