The last remaining hospital in Northern Gaza was forcibly evacuated by the Israel Defense Forces then set on fire, according to multiple news outlets.
The IDF gave 350 medical personnel, patients and family members 15 minutes to evacuate the last hospital in the area before it warned it would enter and arrest anyone who remained, according to NBC News.
"The operating and surgical departments, laboratory, maintenance and emergency units have been completely burned, and the fire is now spreading to the buildings," Gaza's Health Ministry said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, the hospital's director, said the IDF was "burning all the operating departments in the hospital" with medical staff still inside. He added some staff members were also arrested.
A widely shared video on X showed half-dressed male staff members leaving the hospital blindfolded and with their arms up, surrounded by the rubble of their former city.
Israeli forces have reportedly stormed northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and forced out all the patients and staff who were there. pic.twitter.com/vWUsPQHwzE
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 27, 2024
The IDF told NBC News it targeted the hospital after receiving information about "the presence of terrorist infrastructure and operatives carrying out terror activities" inside, but that has not been confirmed.
Kamal Adwan Hospital has been under siege for weeks, with the IDF sending explosive robots to detonate near it in addition to targeted drone strikes on homes near the area. On Thursday, 50 people, including five medical personnel, were killed in an Israeli strike.
⚡️JUST IN:
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) December 24, 2024
Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya speaks about the explosive robots detonated 50 meters from Kamal Adwan Hospital, large drones dropping 20-kilogram explosives on nearby homes, and smaller drones targeting any movement near the hospital. pic.twitter.com/IbZ2KLwyAc
On Christmas, the IDF also struck and killed a press van carrying five Palestinian journalists, all five of whom burned to death, the BBC reported. One of the journalists was waiting for his wife to give birth to their first child inside the hospital.
⚡️BREAKING: 5 journalists were just killed by Israel.
— Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) December 26, 2024
An Israeli strike targeted the PRESS vehicle belonging to “Al-Quds Today” channel while the journalists were sleeping inside the vehicle in front of Al-Awda Hospital in Al-Nuseirat, Central Gaza. Their bodies were charred.… pic.twitter.com/B1u1eXIn3j
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
