News Center- Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli forces have been attacking the Gaza Strip, targeting health facilities.

The siege imposed by the Israeli forces for over 80 days on North Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a statement on Saturday.

“WHO is appalled by yesterday’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, which put the last major health facility in North Gaza out of service,” the statement said, adding:

“Initial reports indicate that some areas of the hospital were burnt and severely damaged during the raid, including the laboratory, surgical unit, engineering and maintenance department, operations theatre, and the medical store. Earlier in the day, twelve patients and a female health staff were reportedly forced to evacuate to the destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital where it is not possible to provide any care, while the majority of the staff, stable patients and companions were moved to a nearby location. Additionally, some people were reportedly stripped and forced to walk toward southern Gaza. Over the last two months, the area around the hospital has remained highly volatile and attacks on the hospitals and on health workers have occurred almost daily. This week, bombardments in its vicinity reportedly killed 50 people, including five health workers from Kamal Adwan Hospital.”

‘Kamal Adwan is now empty’

On Friday evening, the remaining 15 critical patients, 50 caregivers and 20 health workers in Kamal Adwan Hospital were transferred to Indonesian Hospital, which lacks the necessary equipment and supplies to provide adequate care. “Kamal Adwan is now empty. WHO is deeply concerned for their wellbeing, as well as for the Kamal Adwan Hospital director who has been reportedly detained during the raid. WHO lost contact with him since the raid began.”

Since early October 2024, WHO has verified at least 50 attacks on or near the Kamal Adwan Hospital. “Despite the increasingly dire needs for emergency and trauma services and supplies, only 10 out of 21 WHO missions to Kamal Adwan have been partially facilitated between early October and December.”

In the statement, WHO called for urgently ensuring that hospitals in North Gaza can be supported to become functional again. “Hospitals have once again become battlegrounds, reminiscent of the destruction of the health system in Gaza City earlier this year.”