Israeli military surrounds compound of one of the few partially functioning medical facilities in the north after shelling building
\n Gaza
\nAt least 600 patients along with their companions, and staff members, are trapped at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya as the Israeli military besieges the medical facility, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza has said.
\nIsraeli forces raided the hospital in northern Gaza on Friday and ordered patients to move down to the main courtyard, the Wafa news agency reported, as they conducted mass arrests.
\nAt least two children have died in the intensive care unit after the hospital\u2019s generators stopped and the oxygen station was targeted, the health ministry said in a statement.
\nAmong those inside are 195 patients, and 70 medical staff members, the ministry said in its statement, adding that the situation there is \u201calarmingly deteriorating\u201d.
\nThe raid came a day after Israeli tanks shelled the compound of the hospital, one of the few remaining functioning medical facilities in the north of the enclave, as the Israeli siege entered its third week.
\nAccording to the hospital\u2019s director, Hussam Abu Safia, the intensive care unit suffered severe damage from the tank attack.
\nHe warned that the hospital could become a mass grave as one patient was dying every hour as a result of the Israeli military assault.
\nWorld Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said \u201cwe have lost touch with the personnel\u201d at the hospital and called the raid \u201cdeeply disturbing\u201d.
\nHe wrote in a post on social media platform X, that the hospital \u201chas been overflowing with close to 200 patients \u2013 a constant stream of horrific trauma cases. It is also full of hundreds of people seeking shelter\u201d.
\nThe Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces \u201cstormed\u201d the hospital, \u201cdetaining hundreds of patients, medical staff and some displaced individuals from neighbouring areas who sought refuge\u201d.
\nReporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera\u2019s Hani Mahmoud said witnesses and doctors at the scene said fires had broken out, making it difficult for people to evacuate the building and for ambulances to operate.
\nWounded patients and those with other health complications were dragged outside the buildings into the courtyard of the hospital, Mahmoud reported.
\n\u201cThis is happening at a time when fuel was expected to reach the hospital to sustain the power generators,\u201d Mahmoud said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to imagine that the hospital will be able to sustain its operations now as it comes under direct attack by the Israeli military.\u201d
\nHe said there was a heavy military presence in the area, with dozens of Israeli tanks surrounding the medical compound.
\nThe Israeli military said only that it was \u201coperating in the area\u201d of the hospital based on intelligence that indicated the presence of \u201cterrorists and terrorist infrastructure\u201d.<\/p>\n
Hospitals under fire
\nA second medical facility in northern Gaza, the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, was put out of service on Monday as Israeli soldiers stormed a school and detained the men there before setting the facility ablaze. The fire reached the hospital generators, causing a power outage.
\nAl Jazeera\u2019s Mahmoud said the solar panels on the rooftop were also damaged, \u201cleaving the Indonesian Hospital without any source of power\u201d, including for lifelines such as incubators.
\nThose evacuated from the Indonesian Hospital were displaced to Kamal Adwan Hospital, a mid-size facility struggling to accommodate patients beyond capacity.
\nThe United Nations said it had been unable to reach all three hospitals in northern Gaza \u2013 Kamal Adwan, Indonesian and al-Awda Hospital \u2013 despite demanding access to allow aid in.
\nThe UN Human Rights Office said it was \u201cincreasingly concerned that the manner in which the Israeli military is conducting hostilities\u201d in northern Gaza, also with the \u201cunlawful interference with humanitarian assistance and orders that are leading to forced displacement\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Israeli military surrounds compound of one of the few partially functioning medical facilities in the north after shelling building Gaza At least 600 patients along with their companions, and staff members, are trapped at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya as the Israeli military besieges the medical facility, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-439684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n