The Gaza Civil Defense reported on Friday deadly bombings around the Kamal Adwan hospital, in the north of the Palestinian territory, and direct Israeli fire on the establishment, an accusation categorically rejected by the Israeli army.
In the middle of the afternoon, the spokesperson for Civil Defense, Mahmoud Bassal, reported“at least 29” dead and “several dozen injured” in the northern Gaza Strip since dawn, “due to incessant Israeli bombardments, particularly around Kamal Adwan hospital, and drone fire (…) targeting the hospital” himself.
An Israeli military spokesperson issued a strong denial. The army “did not strike Kamal Adwan Hospital or carry out operations inside”this spokesperson told AFP, adding that Israeli forces were continuing their operations “against terrorists in the Jabalia region (north), including near Kamal Adwan hospital”.
“There were a series of airstrikes on the north and west sides of the hospital, accompanied by intense and direct fire, which fortunately did not cause any injuries inside the hospital”notably indicated its director, Dr Hossam Abou Safiyeh in a statement on WhatsApp.
Several witnesses also described intense shelling in the area.
Since the start of the war triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Israeli army has carried out several operations near or in hospital compounds, accusing the Palestinian Islamist movement of using civilians as human shields and carry out attacks from health centers.
” Panic “
A Palestinian uses a mattress to remove a victim following strikes around Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on December 6, 2024 / – / AFP
For two months, Israel has concentrated its military operations in the north of the Gaza Strip. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer spoke during a press briefing on Thursday about ongoing operations in several areas where “Hamas and Islamic Jihad (another Palestinian armed group) are trying to regroup”.
The Israeli army also claims to be in « contact continu » with Kamal Adwan Hospital to enable delivery “supplies, food and medical equipment”.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) described“extremely worrying” the situation in this hospital, one of the few still partially operational in the north of the Palestinian territory devastated by 14 months of war.
Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative in the Palestinian Territories, spoke “intense bombing around the hospital”.
Around 4 a.m. (0200 GMT), Israeli soldiers were seen outside the hospital, he said. According to him, rumors have spread “that everyone had to leave the hospital, which “caused a panic, and what we understand is that people started to climb the wall to escape (…) and this panic led to shooting » of the Israeli army.
“Two alerts”
Victims are treated inside the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, December 6, 2024 / – / AFP
“Deaths have been reported, as well as detentions, arrests”he added, but “there was no official evacuation order”.
In the morning, the spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense spoke of “a certain number of arrests and the presence of armored vehicles near the hospital.
According to the account of a witness reached by telephone, who introduced himself as Abu Abd al-Majid, “the army surrounded the hospital with vehicles and opened fire”. He says that two Palestinians detained by the Israelis came to tell all the patients to evacuate to Gaza City.
Dr Faradina Soulistiyani was also present. This Indonesian surgeon testified to AFP from the city of Gaza where she fled, that“there were two alerts for us to evacuate Kamal Adwan hospital”. She also describes heavy bombardments.
She was part of the emergency medical team that had just been deployed earlier this week to keep the hospital operational. The team was installed during a WHO mission, which head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed on delivered.
The WHO reported several attacks this week on the Kamal Adwan hospital, ensuring that the health establishment had been the target of drone fire eight times on Thursday, and that the oxygen, compressed air and The hospital’s water supply had been damaged.
