DaysofPal—The Israeli army arrested Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza as part of an Israeli barbaric raid on the hospital on Friday, December 27, 2024.
The invasion included the destruction of the hospital’s facilities, abuse of patients and staff, and the mass detention of medical personnel and civilians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed Dr. Abu Safiya’s arrest in a statement to Days of Palestine, revealing that Israeli forces used him as a human shield during their inspection of the hospital.
The ministry described the raid as a catastrophic blow to the already fragile healthcare system in northern Gaza.
Devastating Raid
According to local sources, Israeli troops stormed the Kamal Adwan Hospital on Friday after hours of surrounding the facility.
During the assault, they set fire to multiple departments, inflicted violence on patients and medical staff, and forcibly removed those inside under harsh conditions, including frigid temperatures and gunfire in the vicinity.
The raid left 350 people inside the hospital—75 of them patients—struggling for survival.
Among the staff and evacuees, reports indicate that 50 individuals, including five medical workers, were killed when the military shelled a nearby building the night before the incursion.
“Extremely dire Conditions”
Following the forced evacuation, patients and wounded individuals were relocated to the Indonesian Hospital, which has been severely compromised by ongoing strikes.
The Ministry of Health described conditions there as “extremely dire,” with no water, electricity, food, or medical supplies.
“The countdown has begun for the loss of many lives,” the ministry stated, highlighting that critical medical staff have been detained by Israeli forces and cannot provide care.
The Indonesian Hospital’s infrastructure had already suffered significant damage in prior airstrikes, further exacerbating the crisis.
The Ministry of Health has issued urgent calls for international organizations to intervene, demanding immediate action to safeguard the lives of patients, medical workers, and civilians.
On Saturday morning, the Israeli army released 400 detainees from northern Gaza, including medical staff apprehended during Friday’s raid on the hospital and its surroundings. However, the broader health crisis remains unresolved.
Since the Israeli occupation forces launched its latest offensive on Gaza’s northern regions on October 5, 2024, Kamal Adwan Hospital has endured repeated airstrikes, shelling, and blockades.
These attacks have decimated Gaza’s healthcare system, forcing critical facilities out of service and leaving emergency responders, including ambulances and civil defense units, unable to operate.
The Ministry of Health warned in a prior statement that these actions are part of a broader campaign to dismantle northern Gaza’s health infrastructure and force residents to leave the area.
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