Israeli forces shelled all three major hospitals in northern Gaza – Kamal Adwan, Al-Awda, and the Indonesian Hospital – from the night of 18 October to 19 October.
Dozens of people, including health staff, were killed or injured during the attacks, which targeted hospital grounds despite patients and displaced people sheltering there.
Similarly, attacks on Jabalia killed health workers and their family members, including nurses from Kamal Adwan and Al-Shifa hospitals, according to hospital sources.
Later on 19 October, reports on social media revealed that the Israeli occupation forces detained a large group of Palestinian men near the Indonesian Hospital, holding them in what appeared to be a large pit.
The reports raised concerns that these men, like thousands of other Gazans, are likely to be forcibly disappeared at the hands of Israeli forces.
- Sign up for Aliran's free daily email updates or weekly newsletters or both
- Make a one-off donation to Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara, CIMB a/c 8004240948
- Make a pledge or schedule an auto donation to Aliran every month or every quarter
- Become an Aliran member
The attacks severely damaged all three hospitals. Large sections of Al-Awda’s upper floors were destroyed in shelling, and parts of the Indonesian Hospital’s walls and Kamal Adwan’s laboratory entrance were blown apart or damaged.
All three facilities have effectively been forced out of service by the assaults, leaving hundreds of people – including pregnant women, children, and critically injured patients – without any access to care.
Dr Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital, stated that the hospital was unable to provide critical care due to a shortage of supplies, and staff could not start the generator as a result of fuel running out.
Al-Sultan added that Israeli forces had surrounded shelters near the hospital, trapping hundreds of displaced families, including newborn babies and the elderly. – Peoples Dispatch/Globetrotter News Service
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme