The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that they have lost contact with staff members at the last operational hospital in northern Gaza, following reports of military activity in the area from the Israeli army.
“Since reports emerged this morning of a raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, we have been unable to reach personnel there. This situation is extremely troubling considering the number of patients and individuals seeking shelter in the facility,” stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X, previously known as Twitter.
He urged for an immediate ceasefire and called for the protection of hospitals, patients, healthcare professionals, and humanitarian workers.
Women and children are seen seated on the floor in the Kamal Adwan Hospital, waiting for treatment.
This announcement comes as Israeli military strikes across Gaza have reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 72 individuals since the previous night, with Palestinian officials alleging that Israeli forces conducted a nighttime raid on a northern hospital.
The Israeli military asserted that its operations led to the elimination of several Palestinian gunmen in both air and ground strikes in southern Gaza, along with the dismantling of military installations.
Residents of Khan Younis were seen sifting through debris in search of personal belongings, while children searched for their toys.
Ahmed Sobh recounted the distressing moment when his cousin cried out for help, saying, “Help me, help me.”
Injured children receive treatment at Al-Awda Hospital following an Israeli strike on the Nuseirat refugee camp.
“We ran and found her children, a boy and a girl, who had been killed. Her son was trapped under a concrete beam, and it took us 1.5 hours to retrieve him,” he told Reuters.
Ahmed al-Farra described the harrowing experience of digging his relatives, including his mother, out from the debris, expressing that he lost 15 members of his extended family during the airstrikes.
“As I was trying to dig (my mother) out, I glanced at the wall and saw a tank aiming at me. I was torn between digging and facing the tank; I chose to dig her out, filled with fear. Everyone around was doing the same, digging in fear,” he recounted.
At the nearby Nasser Hospital, medical personnel prepared the deceased, including three children wrapped together in a single white shroud.
Hospital under siege
In northern Gaza, specifically around Jabalia, which has been subject to a sustained offensive for weeks, health officials reported that Israeli forces stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of three medical facilities struggling to function, and positioned troops outside.
“The intimidation of civilians, the injured, and children began as the Israeli army commenced gunfire towards the hospital,” said Eid Sabbah, the nursing director at the hospital, in a voice note to Reuters.
Once the military pulled back, a team from the World Health Organization arrived with an ambulance to evacuate some patients.
Rescue workers at the Maghazi Camp Services Club, devastated by an Israeli strike.
The WHO confirmed it had transported 49 patients and caregivers to Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
“We witnessed chaos and disorder… The emergency departments (at Kamal Adwan) were overrun with patients, including severe trauma cases, completely overwhelming the staff,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, in an update regarding the operation.
The Israeli military’s humanitarian unit, Cogat, which oversees aid and commercial shipments into Gaza, claimed that the military facilitated the transfer of 49 patients to other hospitals, allowed a fuel truck to enter for Kamal Adwan Hospital, and delivered 180 units of blood along with medical supplies.
Latest stories from the Middle East
Following the partial evacuation, Israeli tanks returned and opened fire on the hospital, targeting its oxygen supplies, before raiding the building and instructing both staff and patients to leave, according to nursing director Dr. Sabbah.
The Israeli military stated that its operations around the Kamal Adwan Hospital were based on intelligence regarding “the presence of terrorists and their infrastructure” in the vicinity.
Medics at three hospitals have defied Israeli orders to evacuate and abandon patients.
Two residences in the Khan Younis region were struck by Israeli airstrikes.
They reported that at least 800 Palestinians have lost their lives in northern Gaza since the military commenced its recent offensive three weeks ago.
Israel has asserted that its forces returned to northern Gaza to eliminate regrouped Hamas fighters. The Israeli military also reported that three of its soldiers were killed during combat in northern Gaza.
The armed wing of Hamas claimed that its fighters detonated an explosive device targeting an Israeli military vehicle in Jabalia, although it remains unclear if this was the same incident.
New ceasefire negotiations
In the meantime, Israeli strikes on three homes in the nearby town of Beit Lahiya resulted in 25 deaths and numerous injuries, according to medical sources.
An Israeli airstrike also claimed the lives of nine individuals in the Shati camp in Gaza City, raising the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire across the enclave to at least 72 since the night before.
This escalation coincided with the United States renewing its efforts to negotiate a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
We need your consent to load this comcast-player content. We utilize comcast-player to manage additional content that can set cookies on your device and gather data regarding your activity. Please review the details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences
A Hamas official confirmed to Reuters that a delegation led by the group’s chief negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya arrived in Cairo yesterday for discussions with Egyptian officials.
The official stated that Hamas is adamant that any agreement must result in ending the war in Gaza, withdrawing Israeli forces from the area, and facilitating a prisoners-for-hostages swap.
Negotiators from the U.S. and Israel are set to convene in Qatar in the coming days to attempt to restart discussions, according to officials. Israel is also engaged in conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The war initiated on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters launched an attack on Israel, resulting in approximately 1,200 fatalities and around 250 hostages taken to Gaza, as per Israeli accounts.
The death toll from Israel’s retaliatory attacks in Gaza is nearing 43,000, with widespread devastation inflicted upon the densely populated enclave by Israeli bombardments.
