Urgent call from Gaza hospitals

MAP condemns invasion of Kamal Adwan Hospital, demands UK act to stop Israel’s atrocities

Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is horrified by yet another atrocity in the making in northern Gaza, after the Israeli military invaded Kamal Adwan Hospital this morning.

It has been reported that Israeli forces have destroyed the hospital’s oxygen station, and it is feared that patients are already dying, with healthcare workers left stranded without access to vital medical resources.

The Israeli military has also reportedly detained hundreds of patients, medical staff and displaced people who were sheltering in the hospital and the World Health Organization reports that it has lost contact with the hospital. We fear deeply for what will happen to those inside.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health report: “The situation inside the hospital is catastrophic in every sense of the word.”

Fikr Shalltoot, MAP’s Gaza Director, said: “This assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital is yet another atrocity by Israel that is eradicating Palestinian life in Gaza. Patients in need of lifesaving care are now left helpless under siege. Healthcare workers, who should be able to provide care with dignity, are now fearing for their lives.”

For over a year, the world has watched passively as the Israeli military has systematically dismantled Gaza’s health system. A UN investigation has confirmed that through its attacks on healthcare personnel and facilities Israel is committing war crimes, including the crime against humanity of extermination.

Despite overwhelming evidence, the UK government has routinely failed to condemn these atrocities or take meaningful action to ensure Israel ends its violations of international law. Through its continued arms sales and diplomatic support to Israel, the UK remains complicit in the extermination of Palestinians.

History is watching. The UK must not be an ally to atrocities.

We therefore call on the UK government to take immediate steps to protect Palestinians by halting all arms transfers to Israel, condemning these acts in the strongest terms, and ensuring those responsible are held swiftly and fully accountable.

Current situation this morning (25 October):

Kamal Adwan Hospital

• (only hospital in the north that has secondary care facilities for children and only paediatric and neonatal intensive care unit)
• ⁠Hospital had direct IDF bombardment last night pre arrival of a WHO delegation, the IDF withdrew prior to their arrival
• ⁠WHO evacuated 40 patients and had minimal supplies to give, they left at 1am
• ⁠an hour later the IDF returned and started directly shelling the hospital, taking out the oxygen unit which resulted in several direct deaths including babies in the neonatal unit
• ⁠the IDF called for the forced evacuation of the hospital
• ⁠less than an hour ago I received an sos voice note from the director of nursing saying the IDF are now rounding up individuals for “arrest” separating men and women
• ⁠all this information has been relayed to BBC and ITV

The Indonesian Hospital

Please bear in mind it is now day 22 of total siege on the Indonesian with the IDF outside throughout – no food, water or supplies have entered in the hospital for 22 days and staff and patients have been surviving on diminishing supplies

Update on this morning  (around 5.30 a.m. Gaza time) :

1. The food stock is very minimal (the last I knew, 2 days ago, they only had 1 sack of flour for the entire hospital). No drink water available.

2. Israeli soldiers are guarding every hospital entrance. Tanks are still stationed in the hospital yard.

3. So far, no one has been arrested from inside the hospital.

4. Israeli soldiers sometimes give Warning or even shoot at the Hospital windows if they feel someone is observing or watching their tanks from inside the hospital.

5. Everyone inside the hospital is being closely monitored and cannot move or work freely.

6. Four patients have died in the last 6 days.

Update

Since last night, at midnight, IDF tanks and bulldozers reached Kamal Adwan Hospital. The terrorising of the civilians, the injured and the children started as they (Israeli army) started opening fire on the hospital.

Then the army retreated, and after it retreated, the delegation from the WHO arrived. The delegation arrived with an ambulance and solar panels for the hospital and then 40 injured and wounded patients were evacuated from the hospital. The WHO delegation left the hospital at 1am with the evacuees.

Everyone was surprised that the tanks returned and surrounded the hospital exactly one hour after the WHO delegation left the hospital. They shelled the oxygen storage station in the hospital in a targeted strike and oxygen was cut off from the ICU and wards which led to the death of some of the patients in the ICU who could not survive without the oxygen. This included babies in the neonatal unit who could not survive without oxygen.

And today in the early morning, the occupation forces stormed the walls of the hospital and started calling on the hospital staff teams and the patients, their companions and the wounded and injured to leave the hospital. And then communication lines were broken with everyone who was inside the hospital.

And now men and women are being separated within the Kamal Adwan hospital complex and some of the active individuals and companions have been arrested and communication lines have been cut so we do not know what is happening within Kamal Adwan hospital.

Eye witnesses have reported the IDF putting bullets to the head of people they rounded up from the hospital.

As of 16.46 U.K. time report of Dr Husam Abu Safiyeh being released after the IDF have taken all his personal details. Staff have been threatened and the IDF remain surrounding the hospital. Many patients and family have been forcibly expelled from the hospital however there remains 70 healthcare workers and 170 patients, two staff from the ICU have been killed by the IDF