During the

Israel–Hamas war An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. On that day, Palestinian militant groups launched 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, a surp ...

, the Kamal Adwan Hospital, a hospital in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, was besieged by the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

Background

The Kamal Adwan Hospital was a site of conflict during the

2023 Israel–Hamas war } The ongoing armed conflict between Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups and Israel military forces began on 7 October 2023, 50 years after the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Hamas's coordinated surprise offensive, codenamed "Al-Aqsa Fl ...

following the

Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip On the evening of 27 October 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a large-scale invasion inside the Gaza Strip, as part of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, with the stated goal of destroying Hamas and overthrowing it. Background Aft ...

. Israel's targeting of Kamal Adwan came amidst a broader Israeli targeting of health facilities in the Gaza Strip. On 3 December, the IDF struck in the vicinity of Kamal Adwan hospital, killing at least four people according to Al-Jazeera. On 11 December, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital stated Israel had killed two mothers and their newborn babies when Israel targeted its maternity ward. According to UN News, the "maternity department was reportedly hit during shelling and two mothers were killed". As of August 2024, the Kamal Adwan Hospital houses the only functioning neo-natal ICU left in Gaza

2023 raid by Israel Defense Forces

On 12 December, Israel raided the Kamal Adwan Hospital. The head of pediatrics stated the IDF had ordered all men and boys above age sixteen to leave the hospital to be searched. 70 medical staffers were arrested and taken to an unknown location. The head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stated he was "extremely worried" about the situation at Kamal Adwan. The IDF released a video claiming that it showed alleged terrorists near Kamal Adwan reportedly surrendering their weapons. These claims were quickly challenged by family members who identified their non-combatant relatives. On 14 December, the

Gaza Health Ministry The Gaza Health Ministry is the government agency responsible for healthcare and medical services in the Gaza Strip of the Palestinian territories. It operates under the administration of the Hamas authority that has run the territory since 200 ...

reported that 2,500

internally displaced person An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to leave their home but who remains within their country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the legal definitions of a refugee. A ...

s had been forcibly evacuated, and that IDF soldiers had prevented medical staff from continuing support to 12 babies in intensive care and ten emergency department patients, leading to two deaths. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated patients had evacuated Kamal Adwan hospital, resulting in the deaths of patients, including a nine-year-old. On 16 December, Israeli bulldozers crushed people sheltering outside the hospital. One reporter described "a terrifying massacre and unspeakable scenes" and stating, "Dozens of displaced, sick and wounded people were buried alive". A man stated his 25-year-old son had been buried alive by IDF bulldozers at Kamal Adwan and in the same report the IDF was accused of necroviolence by running over corpses with a bulldozer. Director general of the Gaza Health Ministry, Munir al-Bursh, claims to have been shot at by Israeli forces while giving a press conference in front of the hospital, and that Israeli forces arrested 70 medical professionals. Israel claims that the hospital was used to shelter terrorists, arguing that this invalidated the protection provided by the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...

. Israel claims to have arrested 80 Hamas operatives in the base and had found weapons in the location. Staff reported the Israeli troops shooting at doctors and setting dogs to maul handicapped patients.

Detention and interrogation of hospital director

The hospital's director, Ahmed Kahlout, was arrested following the IDF's takeover of the hospital. Following an interrogation by the

, the Israeli military reported that he had confessed that the hospital was being used as a military operations center. He is reported to have said that he joined Hamas in 2010 at the equivalent rank of a brigadier general and that many hospital staff members, including doctors, nurses, paramedics, and others, also served as members of Hamas's

al-Qassam brigades The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades ( ar, كتائب الشهيد عز الدين القسام, , Battalions of martyr Izz ad-Din al-Qassam; also spelt Izzedine or Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades; often shortened to Al-Qassam Brigades, IQB

. According to Kahlout, Hamas concealed weapons within the hospital and integrated its operations into its functions. The

said that "Kahlot’s confessions were extracted under the use of force, coercion, torture and intimidation." The Ministry of Health said that Kahlout works for the Military Medical Services, a branch of the Ministry of the Interior and that the rank of brigadier general was part of the ranking system used by the Interior Ministry.

2024 bombing and siege

In May 2024, Israel bombed the vicinity of the hospital, which the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on 19 May was "deeply worrisome". Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on 21 May that the hospital had been attacked four times in the prior twenty four hours. The same day, the hospital was evacuated, though patients connected to machines were unable to be evacuated. Medics stated on 22 May that missiles hit the hospital's emergency department. On 24 May, Israeli forces massed outside the hospital entrance, leading the hospital's head of nursing to state, "It is considered practically, because it is besieged, not operational". The hospital was hit twice by artillery. On 25 May, the head of pediatrics stated Israeli forces were still surrounding the hospital. Upon Israel's withdrawal from the Jabalia refugee camp, Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency stated that the Israeli military had destroyed the hospital's main electrical generators. In August 2024, officials at Kamal Adwan Hospital warned that the hospital was at risk of closure due to lack of fuel and medicine, putting 11 children at risk of death.

Reactions

Palestinian health minister

Mai al-Kaila Mai Al-Kaila ( ar, مي الكيلة; born 8 April 1955) is a Palestinian doctor, diplomat and politician, and the first woman to hold the position of Health Minister of Palestine. She holds a PhD in public health and health administration. She ...

called for a probe into Israeli actions at Kamal Adwan. The Council on American–Islamic Relations called for a United Nations international probe. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated WHO was appalled at the hospital's "effective destruction". The United Nations called for an investigation.

References