Last major health facility in north Gaza ‘out of service’ – WHO

Victims are treated inside the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, following Israeli strikes around the medical complex on December 6, 2024, as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group continues. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse

GENEVA — An Israeli military operation Friday targeting Hamas militants near the Kamal Adwan Hospital has put the last major health facility in northern Gaza out of service, the World Health Organization said.

“This morning’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital has put this last major health facility in north Gaza out of service. Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid,” the WHO said in a statement on X.

Israel’s military claimed in a statement that the hospital had become “a key stronghold for terrorist organizations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives” since Israeli forces began broader operations in northern Gaza in October.

READ: Northern Gaza’s hospitals come under attack again

The WHO said 60 health workers and 25 patients in a critical condition, including those on ventilators, reportedly remain in the hospital.

The patients in moderate to severe condition were forced to evacuate to the destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital, the UN health agency said, adding that it was “deeply concerned for their safety”.

“This raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital comes after escalating restrictions on access for WHO and partners, and repeated attacks on or near the facility since early October,” the WHO said.

READ: WHO chief: Conditions in north Gaza hospital ‘appalling’

“Such hostilities and the raids are undoing all our efforts and support to keep the facility minimal functional. The systematic dismantling of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care.

“This horror must end and health care must be protected.”

The WHO reiterated its call for a ceasefire.

Kamal Adwan Hospital is located in Beit Lahia, a city at the centre of an intense Israeli military operation aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping in northern Gaza.