Israeli soldiers forced patients out of a hospital in northern Gaza, health officials told Reuters
Written by Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) – Israeli forces forced the evacuation of an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza and many patients, some of whom were on foot, arrived at another hospital far from Gaza City, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
The Indonesian hospital is one of the few remaining hospitals in the Gaza Strip, on the northern outskirts, an area that has been under heavy pressure from the Israeli military for nearly three months.
Israel says its operations in the three northern Gaza communities surrounding the hospital – Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabalia – are targeting Hamas terrorists.
The Palestinians accuse Israel of wanting to permanently remove northern Gaza to create a safe zone, which Israel denies.
Munir Al-Bursh, the director of the health department in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, said the Israeli army ordered hospital officials out on Monday, before they raided it early Tuesday and forced those inside to leave.
He said that two other medical centers in the north of Gaza, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan Hospitals, have also been attacked several times by Israeli soldiers working in the area.
“The military put these three hospitals out of medical service due to repeated attacks that destroyed them and destroyed parts of them,” Bursh said in a statement.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.
Officials at three hospitals have so far refused Israeli orders to evacuate their facilities or leave patients unattended since a new military offensive began on Oct.
Israel says that he has been helping the delivery of medical supplies, fuel and the transfer of patients to other hospitals in this category during that time in collaboration with international organizations such as the World Health Organization.
Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said that they oppose the new military order to evacuate hundreds of patients, their friends and staff, adding that the hospital has been under Israeli fire which has destroyed generators, oxygen pumps and parts of the building.
Israeli soldiers have been working near the hospital since Monday, health officials said.
NEW STRIKES
Meanwhile, Israeli shelling continued elsewhere in the area and medics said at least nine Palestinians, including a member of the emergency services, were killed in four separate military strikes in the area on Tuesday.
The Gaza war was started by a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 in southern Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli figures.
Israel’s campaign against Hamas has killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled area. Most of the 2.3 million people have been displaced and much of Gaza is in ruins.
A new call by mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States for an end to hostilities and the release of Israeli and foreign hostages has gained momentum this month, although no success has yet been reported.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that there is progress in the hostage talks with Hamas but he does not know how long it will take to see the results.
Gaps between Israel and Hamas over a possible ceasefire in Gaza, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials on Monday, although key disagreements remain to be resolved.
