Rights monitor: Raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital marks final step in destroying Gaza's health system
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor stated that the Israeli occupation forces storming of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza is part of a broader campaign to completely destroy health system in Gaza Strip. This attack is a continuation of genocide being committed by Israeli forces since October 7, 2023.In a press release, the monitor mentioned that early this morning, Israeli forces surrounded Kamal Adwan Hospital and instructed its director, Dr Hussam Abu Safieh, to gather all patients, the injured, and medical staff in the hospitals courtyard within 15 minutes.The statement added that a nurse at the hospital, Walid al-Badi, reported in a voice message that Israeli forces stormed the hospitals courtyard just as medical staff and patients were gathering there. Communication was then cut off with the hospital administration, patients, and their companions.At the time, the hospital was housing around 350 people, including 75 patients and the injured, along with their companions, and 180 medical staff working in various hospital departments.The human rights monitor explained that the storming of the hospital followed weeks of repeated Israeli attacks on the hospital and its surroundings. These attacks escalated on Thursday with the explosion of several booby-trapped boxes near the hospital, killing five of its staff in a nearby building.The statement emphasised that throughout this month, Israeli forces have carried out more than 37 direct attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital. These attacks included dropping bombs from drones (quadcopters) onto hospital departments, in addition to shooting, artillery shelling, airstrikes on the hospital gates, and repeated explosions from robots and booby-trapped boxes around the hospital.The monitor also noted that the Israeli army had requested evacuation of the hospital several times since the start of third ground invasion of northern Gaza on Oct 5. When medical staff refused, Israeli forces resorted to repeated shelling. They also forced several patient companions and some medical staff to evacuate, arresting some of them and forcing others to flee.The monitor warned that Israeli forces are systematically targeting the few medical teams that remain in northern Gaza, with the clear aim of dismantling the entire health system in the region. The occupation is also attempting to empty the area of its residents through mass killings and forced displacement.The monitor stressed that the repeated attacks on hospitals, the storming of medical facilities, and the killing of medical staff and patients are a shameful violation of human rights. These actions also expose the failure of international organisations to uphold their responsibility to protect hospitals, medical personnel, and patients.The statement called on International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) to take urgent action to reach hospitals in northern Gaza, fulfil their responsibilities to protect patients, the wounded, and medical teams, and provide humanitarian aid, including medicines, medical supplies, food, and medical personnel.It also urged these organisations to issue public statements based on their operational principles, condemning the grave violations committed by Israeli forces. These violations have been escalating rapidly for over a year, despite all efforts and negotiations, including those led by the ICRC, calling for a halt to Israeli crimes.The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reiterated its call for all nations and the UN to fulfill their international legal obligations to stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The organisation also called for a complete arms embargo on Israel, accountability for all Israeli crimes, and effective measures to protect Palestinian civilians and prevent their forced displacement.