DayofPal– Israeli forces reportedly subjected Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, to severe beatings with batons and sticks, forcing him to strip and wear prison clothes, after forcibly evacuating the hospital along with the medical staff.
Dr. Abu Safiya, who remained steadfast on duty in the hospital for over 80 days of siege, has been used as a human shield by Israeli troops, according to Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director-General of the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Al-Bursh described the heart breaking moments of the evacuation of Kamal Adwan Hospital by Israeli forces as “extremely harsh,” stating that the medical staff and patients faced unbearable conditions.
Dr. Al-Bursh said that Israeli forces deceived the medical team and patients after promising them of safe transference to the Indonesian Hospital. Instead, they were harshly beaten and taken to an unknown destination.
At the beginning, Israeli forces took Abu Safiya and other medical staff to Al-Fakhoura, west of Jabalia with some eyewitnesses who were later released described the scene as “tragic and devastating.” Then Abu Safiya was abducted to unknown location.
Dr. Al-Bursh, in addition, reported that the Israeli army arrested other 33 medical staff from Kamal Adwan Hospital, including 11 nurses, 4 paramedics, 7 administrative workers, 2 journalists, and 10 maintenance and cleaning staff. Ten others remain missing.
Survivors indicated that four injured people were burned alive during the military assault on the hospital’s premises, though exact numbers remain unconfirmed.
According to the Government Media Office, the Israeli military stormed Kamal Adwan Hospital, set it ablaze, and rendered it completely out of service. Over 350 people inside the hospital were detained, including 180 medical staff, 75 patients and their companions, and others.
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