Gaza health ministry says Israel bombarding last hospital in north

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Monday Israeli forces are bombarding the last partially functioning hospital in north Gaza, an area of intense military operations for the past month.

“At this moment, occupation forces are continuing to violently bombard and destroy Kamal Adwan Hospital, targeting all parts of the hospital,” the ministry said of the facility in the northern city of Beit Lahia.

Hospital director Hossam Abu Safieh said in a statement that the situation was “catastrophic”, and that “the army did not contact the hospital before directly targeting it”.

“Several of our staff have been injured, and we are unable to leave the hospital,” he said.

“We do not understand the purpose behind this bombing that is targeting the hospital.”

When contacted, Israel’s military said it was checking the report.

But in a separate statement Monday it said troops “are continuing to operate against terrorist infrastructure and operatives in the northern and central Gaza Strip”.

Late last month, Israeli forces stormed Kamal Adwan hospital in a raid in which two children had died, Gaza’s health ministry said at the time.

It said Israeli forces detained hundreds of patients, medical staff and some displaced individuals from neighbouring areas during the operation.

The Israeli military is engaged in intense military operations in the north of the Palestinian territory where it says Hamas militants have regrouped.

Its campaign began on October 6 when the army announced it had surrounded the northern Gaza city of Jabalia and its adjacent refugee camp.

The head of Gaza’s civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, said Monday that more than 1,300 people have been killed so far in the Israeli operation.

“There is a severe blockade on medicine, water, and food” in the north of the territory, he told AFP.

“Medical teams, civil defence crews and hospitals in the northern region have been out of service for the 13th day in a row.”

AFP was unable to independently verify the toll and Israel has also not provided casualty figures, only saying that “dozens of terrorists” have been killed in the operation.